


Thin Ice

by BelladonnaVeilsin



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Furry, M/M, Mating Bond, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:06:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27363976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelladonnaVeilsin/pseuds/BelladonnaVeilsin
Summary: Because 300 years of issues don't just disappear, no matter how much magic you have. The layer of ice between regular Jack Frost and the dark waters inside him is thinner than you think. (Or how a near death experience that isn't his breaks Jack, and Aster can't help but try to fix him.) Jackrabbit
Relationships: E. Aster Bunnymund/Jack Frost
Comments: 44
Kudos: 264





	1. Exile

**Author's Note:**

> Long time reader, first time writer (for this fandom). I likely make a mess of the lore since I haven’t read the books, only seen the movie. And a ton of this shit is just stuff I read in other fics, so it may or may not be canon or someone’s creation.

_Winter has come too late,_

_too close beside me._

_How can I chase away_

_all these fears deep inside?_

Exile- Enya

Jack had been helping Aster to put the Warren to rights after that disastrous Easter where Aster had nearly disappeared. He knew Jack felt guilty, especially after what Aster had said to him. And while Aster had told the truth, his words were given more force after he had felt a child walk right through him, had felt what it was to be invisible, not believed in.

It was terrifying. It was true that the Guardians had a more rigid requirement of believers, but all Spirits needed someone to believe in them, see them, if they wanted to last long term.

Jack Frost was an anomaly. Spirits of Winter and the other seasons had solid belief if for no other reason than their manifestations being completely accepted by the human world. You’d have to be living in a closet by yourself your whole life not to believe there’s a Winter or a Summer.

But all the Spirits of Winter had made it clear that Jack Frost wasn’t one of them, no matter what powers he had. Jack was something else, something strange. His name had made it into a saying, but no one believed in him. He should have faded within a decade or two.

Jack made it three hundred years without one wisp of belief, running around exerting influence and power without a care. Most Spirits were actually frightened of him, because who could have that much power when no one believed he could?

His relationship with the North Wind was also strange. It responded to no summons, no request. Jack called it and rode along it so naturally it was usually confused with his own powers.

The funniest thing was Jack didn’t boast about it. He didn’t flaunt his power other than his regular cheeky tricks. It was one of the few things Aster had liked about him for those first three hundred years. At least, until that Blizzard. Then Aster hated the little Spirit for daring to mess with his holiday.

And it wasn’t until after Aster himself had felt disbelieved, invisible, only after he started to get to know Jack, that he understood that disastrous Blizzard on Easter Sunday in ‘68. Jack was acting out for attention, like any lonely child would.

Even at the time, Aster could tell that Jack meant no real harm, that he thought it was funny and he was playing with the Spirit of Hope. But Aster had been so furious that the ensuing shouting match and brief physical altercation (that Aster won) had ensured that Jack made sure to steer clear of the Easter Bunny until the Pitch Crisis had forced Aster to seek Jack out. Oh, Jack had played some mild pranks on or around Easter, but never anything significant, and Aster could never find Jack afterwards to confront him.

So when Jack showed up as Aster was standing and staring at the ruins of the Warren, Aster’s knee-jerk reaction was to demand what he wanted, only just refraining from shouting. They’d mended some fences, but when Aster was feeling his own hope flagging looking at what Jack’s irresponsibility had done to him, he was feeling less than friendly.

And Jack flinched, uncharacteristically timid, and said he wanted to help. He asked Aster what he wanted Jack to do.

It knocked Aster back that Jack wanted to help repair the mess he’d made. That Jack could be something other than a mischievous child. It made the rabbit wonder what else he didn’t know about Jack Frost.

After many months of working with Jack, he had to admit the little Spirit was really growing on him. He also had to admit that Jack Frost wasn’t just the persona he presented. He knew North had shown Jack his little Russian nesting doll (North had made one for each of the Guardians) and he knew North had given Jack the center of Jack’s own doll. Next Christmas Jack would get another layer.

Aster thought that the outermost shell of Jack would mirror what lay deepest within him. Like a sandwich, the truest parts of Jack hid the darker, more tasty bits between them. Aster scoffed at his own metaphor. Jack Frost was in no way tasty.

A sudden jerk in his peripheral vision made him cast a glance at Jack. The Spirit was shaking, mouth opening and closing, terror etched on his face. Aster had never seen anything like it, not even during the Pitch Crisis.

Jack dashed off without a word, diving into the nearest tunnel to the surface. The North Wind couldn’t reach him here, so he was heading to where it could. But where was he going? What had scared him like that?

Aster meant to find out, and he followed Jack through the tunnel to the surface. Jack had quickly gotten some proficiency and understanding of how the Warren worked, which had initially alarmed Aster, until he realized the boy meant no harm, just wanted the mobility that Aster prized.

Aster realized that Jack was taking his most-used path: the one that went to the town near his pond. Aster created an even quicker route, but apparently not even a direct route to the pond beat the frenzy Jack had whipped the North Wind into to get there first.

“Jamie!” Jack shouted as he touched down at the edge.

And Aster saw that the ice had broken through in the middle. Right about where Jack had fallen through the ice and died. No wonder Jack was losing it. His first believer dying the same way he did. Jack had bonded strongly with Jamie, more than they were supposed to, really, but the Last Light could be treated as special. He had guarded the Guardians in their most dire hour.

The problem was, as Jack moved towards Jamie, the ice around the hole started to close up, a thin layer covering the hole entirely. Jack’s new influx of power was disproportionate to the small number of believers he’d gained, and he hadn’t been doing well to compensate. Aster had yelled at him a few times for accidentally freezing things while they worked. It should have taken some substantial effort to freeze anything in the Warren, but Jack Frost was nothing if not full of surprises.

“Back off, mate!” Aster leapt to the hole and smashed through the ice, groping to find the kid. Jack’s pond was surprisingly deep, and Jamie had sunk beyond easy reach. Aster took a breath and dove in headfirst.

Now, Aster had fur to help protect him from the cold. And even surrounded by winter, he was the Guardian of Hope, and a powerful Spirit of Spring in his own right. He could heat the water around him and summon a bit of light.

And he saw Jamie sinking, almost at the bottom. Aster was a powerful swimmer, and it took very little time and effort to grab the boy and get him to the surface. Of course, Jack, the little idiot, had moved to look down the hole, giving it an even thicker layer of ice. Aster somewhat panickily bashed at the thinnest part, knowing he was running out of air. A small beam of heat and light gave him the opening to push through.

Aster climbed onto the ice, hauling Jamie with him. At least Jack’s presence had reinforced the ice around the hole too. He coughed a bit and said, “Keep your distance, Jack. Much as you love him, you’ll only make him colder.”

Jack just made an anxious sound in the background but moved further back. Aster started pushing on Jamie’s chest, since trying to breathe into him would be awkward, sloppy, and probably not work, given the bunny’s physiology.

Only a few breathless moments later, Jamie stirred, coughing up water and further choking until Aster turned him on his side. “Bunny?” Jamie sputtered his name in disbelief. “Where’s Jack?”

A whine behind him drew Jamie’s attention, and Aster moved to let him see where Jack was wrapping his arms around himself, looking distraught. For his part, Aster hauled Jamie onto solid ground where Aster could start warming him, heating the air and revitalizing the earth, making a little pocket of Springtime.

Jamie didn’t notice that. He was focused on Jack’s tears. “Don’t cry, Jack. I’m sorry to bother you. I just come out here whenever I miss you. This pond always freezes solid; no one’s ever even managed to crack the surface, so I didn’t think there was any danger.”

Jack just sobbed. “This is all my fault! _I’m_ the one who makes it solid, who makes sure that no one else will fall through and die! And I got distracted and haven’t been back often enough. It’s my fault…you nearly…” Jack shook his head. “I’m sorry. I failed you.”

And without waiting for a reply, Jack flew off, leaving a very confused child in Aster’s care. “What’s he talking about, Bunny? It isn’t his fault.”

Aster was realizing, more and more, why Jack had always been a Guardian. He’d protected the joy and laughter and fun of childhood, and he had apparently been protecting the children of Burgess from sharing his watery grave.

Not sure it was his place, Aster still said, “Jack died here, Jamie. Fell through the ice and drowned before he was raised back up as Jack Frost. I guess no one ever broke the ice in this pond because Jack made sure of it. He’s been helping me for months, and I guess when he left the Warren, he didn’t come back here. An early freeze might have caught him off guard.”

Jamie’s eyes were wide as his violent shivering started to calm. “Jack…died? That’s…really sad. And he stays right where he died to be sure no one else does…he’s really amazing.”

Jack certainly was. And he was certainly far more damaged than Aster realized. He knew the boy was lonely, but he didn’t realize how much trauma he had endured.

Aster knew it definitely wasn’t his place, but he wanted to be sure Jack’s first believer knew enough about Jack to never hurt him, even accidentally. “Jamie, Jack’s been alone for three hundred years since he died. The rest of us Spirits wanted nothing to do with the little troublemaker, and not one person had ever seen him until you. Being invisible and unbelieved-in is…horrifying. Had a brush with it myself that Easter when we met, and I never realized what it must have been like for Jack. Not only do people not see you, they walk right through you. It’s not that you don’t matter to them, you don’t _exist_ to them. You are incredibly special and important to Jack. To all of us, really.”

Aster’s ear twitched as he heard a sniff. He felt a small smile tug at his lips. “Jack needs your belief, Jamie. More than anyone else in the whole world. The fact that it’s _you_ that nearly drowned is what’s really wrecking him.”

Jamie was finally calming, tremors dying away and proper color returning to his skin. He just looked tired now. “I’ll always believe in Jack. How could I not? Remind me to give him a huge hug when I haven’t just been unfrozen.”

Aster laughed. “Should I take you home? You need rest.”

Jamie shook his head, sitting up slowly and clambering to his feet. “I can make it. You’re right, I just feel really tired…and my throat and nose are sore. But I can make it home.”

As the boy hugged Aster and turned to go, Aster said, “If you need help, just say my name. I’ve got the ears of a rabbit; I’ll hear ya.”

Jamie nodded and left. The pocket of Springtime cooled back into Winter, making Aster sigh in relief. It took a lot of energy to disrupt the natural flow of the seasons like that. Moments later, Aster’s ears picked up light footsteps.

“I’m sorry, Bunny. It’s my fault he was hurt, my fault you nearly died trying to save him. Pi-I make a mess wherever I go.”

The rewording caught Aster’s attention, but when he turned to Jack, he forgot to ask. Jack looked like a kicked puppy, tear-streaked face and timid trepidation. He was waiting for Aster to yell at him.

It still hurt when Jack flinched when Aster reached for him. But the bunny just ruffled the boy’s already unruly hair. “Don’t be dumb, Frostbite. You cause a ruckus, sure, but it’s never boring with you around.” Jack smiled tentatively at that. Aster said, “Besides, even when you do make a mess, you help clean it up, so you’re not bad. Speaking of, why don’tcha give this pond a good freezing so we can go back to the Warren. When we’re done I’ll even bake some carrot cake.” It might have been over-compensating, but Aster wanted nothing more than to have that face wear its trademark mischievous grin.

A smile did creep across Jack’s lips. “I must look pretty pathetic if the big, bad Easter Bunny is willing to make me cake.”

“Buck up, ya sad sack of snow. Misery doesn’t suit your pretty little face.” Well, where the hell did that come from? Certainly not from Aster. Jack Frost wasn’t pretty. Okay, as a painter he could admire the boy’s lithe grace and delicate features, but pretty was over the line. More like…sylvan or ethereal, and, nope, none of that.

Jack grinned at that. “Aw, you do care.”

More than Aster would like to admit. As much as he appreciated the help with the Warren, so much time with Jack was obviously driving him mad. There was no other description for some of the thoughts and feelings arising in Aster.


	2. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster’s feelings start running the show as he sees the extent of the damage he’s done to Jack, and how favorably Jack responds to Aster’s attempts to fix it and bridge the gap between them.

_What I really meant to say_ _  
Is I'm sorry for the way I am  
I never meant to be so cold  
Never meant to be so cold_

Cold- Crossfade

Yes, this had been a bad idea. Sure, Jack was certainly acting like himself again, but that was problematic for a few reasons. It was getting hard for Aster to keep from fighting with Jack, since that seemed to be what Jack wanted.

He had behaved while they finished working, but when the cake came out of the oven, things changed. “Why don’t you do more baking, Cottontail? Easter cakes would certainly make the holiday bigger and better. This is great.”

Aster rolled his eyes. The compliment was nice, but Jack was trying Aster’s nerves again, telling him how to run his holiday. Problem was, Aster really didn’t want to fight Jack, especially since he could tell Jack’s heart wasn’t in it. This was Jack putting on his normal attitude as a front. He hadn’t really recovered from the pond yet.

“Ya know, Frostbite, it’s okay to be upset. You don’t have to hide from me.” It was a little more sentimental than Aster was going for, but it was still true.

Jack’s grin fell, and a small bitter smile twisted his lips. “Since the Blizzard, it has been _the_ plan when it comes to you. You told me you never wanted to see me anywhere near you again, and I’ve been very good at it until you came looking for me when I wasn’t expecting it.”

Aster flinched. He didn’t remember saying that, but it sure sounded like something he might say when his blood was up. “Didn’t mean it, Jack.” He considered, then said, “Okay, I might have meant it then, but you realize things are different now, right?”

When Jack just shrugged and looked away, Aster sighed. He knew he was a big contributor to Jack’s issues, but he hadn’t realized he’d driven the boy away so thoroughly as to hurt his self-image. Because this timid uncertain creature wasn’t Jack Frost. This was what Aster had done to Jack Frost.

There was silence between them for a few long moments before Aster said, “You saved my life, you know.”

Jack’s face snapped to meet his, eyes confused. Aster said, “That night, after Easter. Jamie said he ‘started to think maybe I wasn’t real’. But that wasn’t true. I stopped existing on the sleigh ride to his house. Winked out of reality.” Aster shivered. “Jamie didn’t believe in me at all until you changed his mind.”

Jack stood up. “But…you never said anything!”

Aster snorted. “The big bad Easter Bunny couldn’t let on how shaken he was from the equivalent of dying for our kind for a minute. North and Toothiana were so busy trying to control the sleigh that they weren’t paying attention to me. I was alive and real, so why make a fuss?”

The little Spirit drooped a bit. “I’m sorry. I saw what was happening. Jamie was asking his stuffed bunny for a sign you were real. I just thought it was a shame you couldn’t give him one, since he couldn’t see or hear me. It wasn’t till he let his bunny drop to the ground and said he knew you weren’t real that my panic made me realize that even if he couldn’t see me, he could see the things I could do. I should have done something sooner.”

“For Easter’s sake, Jack, don’t apologize! I’m trying to tell you that things aren’t how they used to be. You saved me from non-existence; I damn well consider you my friend now. Annoying friend I still bicker with, but definitely a friend.” Aster didn’t like being so up-front with his feelings but seeing what he had done to Jack made him want to fix the damage very badly. The boy shouldn’t be broken the way he was.

The way Jack lit up was like spring sunshine hitting snow: brilliant and glittering. Much as Aster hated himself for thinking it, Jack was undeniably beautiful.

“You mean it?” The pure, disbelieving joy in the question made Aster think of something else.

“Of course. You realize that you’re one of us now; part of our family, right?”

A full body shiver ran through Jack as his bright eyes remained fixated on Aster’s. “I didn’t-I mean, I knew we got along, and that I was part of the team…”

Christ, Aster was going to contact North. The big man would need to start hosting some get-togethers. They used to have them when they first joined up, but centuries later, they were all too busy. They needed to make time if they were going to show Jack that he wasn’t invisible, wasn’t alone anymore.

“Family, Jack. The Guardians are a family. And you’re part of it.”

In one graceful, if ill-mannered, leap over the table, Jack had wrapped himself around Aster, practically sitting on the rabbit’s lap. He was shaking, and Aster could feel Jack’s cold tears wetting his fur. It broke his heart.

It also warmed the rabbit as he wrapped his arms around the smaller spirit. A muffled “Thank you” made Aster shake his head.

“Don’t thank me, Frostbite. You’re important to us. Get used to it.”

Jack cried harder and squeezed Aster tighter until a layer of frost iced over his fur. Jack immediately let go. “I’m sorry!”

Aster chuckled at the chill that actually felt quite nice. The Warren quickly warmed the frost until the rabbit was just a little damp. “Not a problem. We do need to work on adjusting you to your higher power level.” Plans started to form in Aster’s mind until a thought hit him. “Where do you usually stay, Jack? I know you’re a bit of a nomad, and you made fun of us for being cooped up in hideouts, but I always thought you had a little arctic cave or some other place to hang your hat.”

Jack shrugged and shifted a bit, and Aster knew that the spirit’s continued presence on his lap was quickly becoming an issue. It felt too nice, the weight and chill of him.

“I have a favorite tree by my pond. When it isn’t winter in Burgess, I have some rooftops in Russia and other Eastern European countries that I like to stay at. If I really get depressed, I go to Antarctica.”

A tree and rooftops and the most barren and lifeless place on the planet. Crickey. Aster knew it was a bad idea, but… “Stay with me for a few days. We’ll see if we can’t get those powers of yours under control.”

North would have been jealous, because Jack looked like a kid on Christmas, and he was going to be staying in the Warren, not the Pole. “Really? You don’t mind?”

Oh, Aster was minding it a lot, but not in a bad way. “You’re welcome here, kid. We can settle you in for the night now, if you like.”

Another squeeze frosted Aster over as a fervent litany of “thankyouthankyouthankyou” permeated the air. Jack didn’t let go this time, and the Warren melting the frost just made it more deeply sunk into his wet fur when Jack’s grip refroze it. There was a sharp sting growing, a pleasant pang to his senses, but Aster really really hoped that he wasn’t getting a cold fetish. That would be incredibly bad.

Jack kept getting deeper under Aster’s fur, and worse, was seeping under his skin. Before today it had just been an uncomfortable background sense of affection; today it was becoming much more prominent and stronger. Aster had a bad feeling that things would get awkward in the near future between Jack and the rabbit if Aster wasn’t careful. With this in mind, he stood up and slid Jack off of his lap.

“C’mon, ya gumbie. I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

Contrary to what he just decided about caution, Aster led Jack to his own room. For some reason he just couldn’t help it; he felt compelled to have Jack as comfortable and welcome in the Warren, in Aster’s Burrow, as he could. The traitorous voice that whispered that his nest would smell like Jack for ages if Jack slept there long enough was summarily ignored.

The egg-shaped nest carved into the floor was full of lots of cushions and pillows and blankets. The room was otherwise less decadent. A desk, a bookshelf, and a plain chair were the primary furnishings, save for a weapon rack made for function, not form.

“This doesn’t look like a guest room,” Jack said, looking nervous.

“Nah, it’s my room. Most comfortable in the whole house, with my nest. But I usually conk out on the couch anyway, so you might as well use it.” Lie. Aster loved sleeping in his nest, but he liked the idea of Jack sleeping there more. And he couldn’t have both, so Jack’s comfort (and Aster’s secret pleasure) came first.

“You want me to sleep in your nest?” Jack’s cheeks gained a lovely purple-tinged frost.

Don’t put it that way, Jackie-boy; Aster needed to keep control. “Like I said, most comfortable, and I don’t use it anyway. It’s just for a few days; don’t worry about it.” Hopefully he didn’t sound _too_ eager and reassuring. But he _really_ wanted Jack in his nest.

When Jack stood there, just blushing and looking unsure, Aster had to convince him. “C’mon, you’ll make a poor host of me if I don’t keep my guest as comfortable as possible. You trying to make me look bad, Frostbite?”

“No, of course not!” The earnest innocence on Jack’s face when he met Aster’s eyes was so damn endearing.

“Then take the nest. Do you want a glass of lemonade before we settle in for the evening?”

Jack nodded. He was bouncing slightly the whole way to the kitchen and then into the den. Aster was glad the boy didn’t spill his drink. Aster settled on the comfortable, ancient overstuffed sofa he’d be sleeping on, and Jack took a worn, overstuffed armchair.

Jack realized his movements and stilled, looking embarrassed. Aster just smiled, unable to keep his amusement to himself. “You okay there, Frostbite?”

Jack shrugged, taking a sip of lemonade. “I’ve just never stayed over at anyone’s house before…never slept in a bed, let alone a nest before.”

Given where Jack had listed off as his favorite spots to settle down, that shouldn’t have surprised Aster, but it did. “You never slept in an empty hotel room, or at the home of someone who was on vacation or something?”

That brought a frown to Jack’s face. “That wouldn’t be my bed to sleep in. I’m not usually a trespasser.”

Aster wasn’t sure what he expected for an answer, but it wasn’t that. Sounded like Jack was actually respectful, despite the fact that for three hundred years he could do whatever he wanted and look wherever he wanted without any fear of being seen. Of course, if he was against running around people’s homes… “How often do you even go indoors, Jack?”

He took a moment to consider, then Jack said, “Three times a year, maybe? Occasionally some public building or event will catch my eye, so I’ll investigate. Besides, I’m not exactly ‘indoor-friendly’ now, am I?”

“I suppose not. Natural power leaks off ya, huh? You are colder to be around since you’ve gotten believers.”

Jack hugged himself as if that would keep the chill to himself. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Not like I didn’t notice before now. And once you stabilize, you should get back to more normal temperatures. Do you like being warm ever?”

Jack sipped his lemonade that, yes, was now frosted over. “Warm, yes. Hot, no. I didn’t really know until recently though. Being in the Pole, here in the Warren…it’s nice. And I never knew…”

When Jack bit his lip and didn’t finish, Aster said, “Never knew what?”

Those blue eyes met his, shining slightly from a glaze of tears. “How nice it is to be touched. Hugs, nudges, a hand on my shoulder…people are warm.”

And if that didn’t just break Aster’s heart. How cold a world Jack had been living in for as long as he could remember. He kept getting more insight into how horrible and lonely Jack’s life had been for the last three hundred years. Given similar treatment, Aster wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have gone mad.

“Good thing about family. Plenty of physical contact to go around. It won’t be such a novelty forever, Jack.”

A sniff from the boy had Aster panicking internally. Don’t cry, Snowflake, Aster was horrible at comforting crying people. Luckily, Jack calmed himself, because when his blue eyes met Aster’s next, they were clear of any tears.

“That sounds incredible. Right now, the smallest touches make me tingle.”

Uh-oh. Aster needed to steer this conversation elsewhere; statements like that invited trouble. “What are your best memories in three hundred years?”

That brought a deep purple frost to Jack’s cheeks. “Um…when I first met you.”

Crap, that didn’t work. But it was also interesting. “Why then? I’ve never been friendly.”

Jack held Aster’s gaze for an uncomfortably long time before he said, “You were the first person to ever see me. First person to ever touch me.”

This was going horribly wrong at the same time things kept getting better. “How is that?”

Jack’s shy smile tore at Aster’s control, and he was hanging on by a precious few threads. “It was Easter, of course. I was walking through the park when I saw you. Giant rabbit. I approached you, and you turned and looked _right_ at me.”

Aster knew this part. “And I said, ‘Who the hell are you?’”

Nodding, Jack said, “And I told you my name. Then you said, ‘Well, Jack Frost, I’m the Easter Bunny, so get out of my way.’ Then you took your paw and…just _pushed_ my shoulder to move me aside.”

With the starstruck look Jack was wearing, you’dve thought that Aster had kissed the boy till he swooned instead of being rude and impatient. “I thought you were just impressed about meeting the Easter Bunny. I didn’t think you’d never been seen or touched before.”

Jack shrugged with that shy smile and said, “That was the first time you saw me. The first time you touched me.”

Aster needed to shut Jack up, because he kept saying things that were appropriate while being entirely inappropriate to Aster’s ears. “Glad I’m a good memory, and not only bad ones.”

“You’re a great memory. Especially now.”

Nope. None of that. Aster stood up and picked up his empty lemonade glass and Jack’s frosted empty one. “I’m ready to settle in for the night. Go ahead and get to sleep, I’ve got some dishes to do. Sleep well, Frostbite.”

Jack seemed a little surprised at the abrupt shift, but obediently turned to go down the hall to Aster’s nest. Then he turned back. “Um, Bunny?” When Aster turned to look, Jack said, “Thanks for letting me stay, and for being so nice to me. Even if it’s because you feel guilty, I really appreciate it.”

Just him saying that made Aster feel guilty. “It’s not just guilt, Frostbite. You’re one of us; you’re my friend now. Remember? Get used to it.”

Jack grinned at him. “Goodnight.”

Aster listened to Jack gingerly climbing into the nest, then grabbing a blanket and snuggling in with a contented sigh. Aster himself just leaned against the sink. What had he gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially not a one-shot now. I’d love to hear what you think of it. Not much action in this chapter, but quite a few revelations and getting closer to each other, so hopefully you enjoyed it.
> 
> Also, I said at the beginning of the first chapter that Aster almost disappeared. Not quite true but wasn’t sure how to phrase that with no spoilers. Because I hope my theory interested you.


	3. In All My Dreams I Drown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Jack has settled comfortably into Aster’s nest, he lets his guard down and darkness swarms him. Thankfully, Aster has sharp ears and is ready to help.

_He said, “Now hush love, here’s you gown._

_There’s the bed, lantern’s down.”_

_“But I don’t want to go to sleep:_

_In all my dreams, I drown._

In All My Dreams I Drown- Jessica Lowndes (Devil’s Carnival)

Aster woke to the sounds of Jack whimpering. He was tossing and turning, but those components could mean he was dreaming something it would be awkward for Aster to interrupt. When Jack started coughing and choking, Aster felt certain it wasn’t any kind of good dream and leapt up to wake the boy.

Aster’s room was covered in a fine layer of frost over every surface, and Jack was spluttering and crying, curled in the middle of Aster’s nest. The rabbit hopped down into the nest to stroke a paw down Jack’s arm, hopefully a soothing way to wake the boy.

Jack gasped and sat up, shaking and crying. He didn’t seem to notice Aster until the rabbit pulled him into a hug. Jack promptly latched on, frosting Aster over. And damn if Aster wasn’t starting to enjoy that. _Both_ parts of that.

He held the boy tight until he calmed down. The Warren managed to melt the ice as he did. The first thing Jack said was, “I’m sorry to wake you.”

Rolling his eyes, Aster said, “You were choking in your sleep. Damn right I want to wake up and help you.”

Jack’s cheeks frosted purple, and he snuggled into Aster’s embrace, once again on the rabbit’s lap. “Thank you.”

“What were you dreaming about, Frostbite?”

Jack shivered against him. “Drowning. Falling through the ice and drowning.”

Of course. Aster might have anticipated that, if he knew Jack had nightmares. “You had that one before?”

Jack nodded. “Ever since I got my memories back, it’s been pretty common. Tonight was really bad, probably because…Jamie.”

Something about that twigged Aster’s instincts. “Wait, you’ve been having nightmares since then? And didn’t think to tell us?”

“Calm down, Bunny,” Jack said, finally getting some space between them. “Not everything is about Pitch. I’ve had nightmares for three hundred years. The drowning was really common after I was first born, although I didn’t really understand what was happening or why. But over three hundred years I’ve added a lot to my collection, so the variety keeps it from getting predictable.”

Jack was trying to make light of it, but this was a serious problem, not something he should live with. “Jack, we’re taking you to Sandy.” Aster considered Sandy’s palace in the desert not being the best for the little Spirit, then said, “Or bringing him here. This is no way for you to live.”

Abrupt panic filled Jack’s features. “Don’t tell Sandy! I won’t wake you up again, I promise!”

Aster sighed. “It’s not about that; wake me up as often as you like. But I can’t believe you’ve been having nightmares for three hundred years and never tried getting help. Do you ever get a decent night’s sleep?”

“Sometimes.” Jack shrugged and tried to smile. Aster interpreted that as “rarely,” and he was probably right.

“Why don’t you want to tell Sandy?” That seemed to be Jack’s biggest problem with this suggestion.

Jack shrugged and climbed off of Aster entirely, turning away from the rabbit. Aster wasn’t sure what to do with that, except to note that he felt somehow colder when the boy left him. Aster didn’t like that; he knew he was in way over his head already.

“Fine. We won’t tell Sandy now. But if this keeps up or gets worse, we’re going to have a talk with him.”

Jack turned and gave Aster a shy smile. “Thanks, Bunny. I’m really sorry I keep freezing things, especially you.”

Aster shivered a little, and he saw Jack take note, looking curious. “Not a problem, mate. The Warren is Springtime, period. A little bit of Winter isn’t going to do any real damage.”

“And you?”

This time, Aster stifled the desire to shiver. “You aren’t hurting me, Frostbite. Don’t worry about it.” When Jack just kept giving him that curious look, Aster said, “Besides, I have something to try tomorrow that, if it doesn’t provide a long-term solution, should at least take the edge off your cold front for a little while.”

Jack grinned. “Is that right, Cottontail? I look forward to the challenge.”

And even if it was mostly a front, Jack looked a bit more like himself. Aster smirked. “Careful what you wish for. I intend to put you through your paces, you bloody show pony.”

Jack’s laugh was music to Aster’s ears.

(-)

If Aster was less powerful in his own right, and if he didn’t know Jack as well as he did, he might have been frightened. He had set up targets for Jack to hit, trying to expend as much power as he could to wear him out and maybe reset him to normal, but it had been hours and Jack showed no signs of slowing. In the Warren, Bastion of Springtime, Jack’s power was potent and unrelenting. The last ice was hardly melted before Jack came back around to the same target again.

“Hold up, mate!” Aster shouted.

Jack set his staff down and leaned on it, giving Aster that same adorable look he had when the rabbit had lured him into the alley in Burgess. “Yeah? Am I doing it wrong?”

Aster sighed. “Are you even tired, mate?”

Jack considered it, then shrugged. “Maybe a little. Why?”

Aster rubbed his face. “Mate, if other Spirits could see what I’m seeing now, you’d intimidate and scare them all the more.”

Jack’s face twisted. “Scare them? Why?”

Aster was confused at Jack’s confusion. Then it made sense why Jack never boasted about his reputation and power. He didn’t know about them. No one _talked_ to Jack. Those like Aster, who were powerful enough to not be intimidated, just found the boy annoying. Those who had no hope of ever matching him despite the fact that no one believed in him found him terrifying.

“You really don’t know how special and unique you are, do you, Frostbite?”

“You mean how I was invisible and isolated for three centuries?” Jack sounded a little bitter.

“Actually, yeah. Guardians have a sharper line when it comes to believers and existing, but all Spirits need to be believed in by someone. You should have faded away after a decade or two. But, you, Jack Frost, survived for three hundred years with not a soul believing in you. You have power and influence that no un-believed Spirit should have, and the North Wind is at your beck and call, and it is known for being uncontrollable.”

Jack looked incredulous. “But…the Wind is the only friend I’ve always had. Even if it isn’t a person, it’s the only thing that’s always been on my side, since the moment I was born. And I still don’t see why being a pathetic, invisible loner would scare anyone.”

“Because you’ve never been pathetic. You should have hardly existed, but you outclass plenty of Spirits who have lots of believers. All but the most powerful Spirits of Winter hate you for showing them up. They have rules to follow that don’t seem to apply to you. Yer a bloody miracle, mate. Don’t let anyone tell ya different.” Aster hoped that would settle the matter.

It didn’t. “That doesn’t matter now. I have believers. I feel incredibly believed in. It’s amazing.”

“Seven. Seven children know about you, and you are making a mess of ice in the Bastion of Spring with little effort and not getting tired.”

Jack shook his head, frowning in thought. “Feels like a lot more than that. I hadn’t really thought about it but…this isn’t just Jamie and his friends.”

Well wasn’t that peculiar. “Where’d you pick up more believers?” Spirits had a gauge, so to speak, of how many believers they had, and the most powerful could often get a feel for where the belief in them sprang up.

“All over. The highest concentration is in Burgess, obviously. But they’re all around the globe.”

That was a little concerning. Snowflake’s popularity continually increasing would explain why he couldn’t stabilize his power. It kept fluctuating to greater heights. But how was he doing it?

“What have you been up to, Jack Frost, that has so many children knowing your name?”

“Just my regular fun. I’ve been spending lots of time with…Jamie, though.”

Aster and Jack shared a look. “Jamie.”

Aster said, “We need to get to the bottom of this. Not that I don’t like you having more believers, but we need to know how it’s happening. You can’t control yourself because you keep getting more power from more believers.”

Jack nodded. “We could go see Jamie now.”

“Actually, I want to keep you at this for at least another hour, see if you start to get tired.” Aster wanted to see if Jack’s new power was really as inexhaustible as it seemed.

Frowning, Jack said, “It really hasn’t been that tiring so far.”

But Aster was hoping, probably in vain, that Jack might get rid of some of the power that was putting a thrill through the rabbit at even the idea of cold. “What time is it over there anyway; the kid is probably still in school.”

Jack nodded after a moment of thought. “I think he is.”

“Then get to it; you can’t keep this up forever.”

Two hours of that same exuberant force later, Jack started breathing a little heavier. “Feels a bit more like a workout now.”

“Five or six hours of throwing Winter around the Warren, and you’re a little tired. Mate, you’re starting to scare even me a little.” It was true. Aster had immense power from his notoriety, and he had had a resurgence of even more believers as the Guardians bounced back from the Pitch Crisis, but he wouldn’t be up to throwing Springtime around in a Winter domain, so far from his elemental strength. The patch of Springtime that day with Jamie wasn’t the Herculean effort it might once have been, but it had been a strain, and Aster couldn’t have done much more with it.

Jack gave him the look of a kicked puppy. “Why would you be scared? You’re the well-established Guardian of Hope. And you know I don’t want to hurt you.”

Aster ruffled the boy’s hair, hoping to calm him. “I’m not afraid, Jack. But the kind of power you have is scary in and of itself. If it was anyone but you wielding it, I might really be scared.”

Jack grinned at that. “Aww, thanks, Bunny. You kind of scare me too.”

Snorting, Aster said, “About another hour till the kid’s free, yeah? How about I make us a quick lunch?”

That had Jack nodding and bouncing up and down before walking ahead of Aster back to his Burrow. “Yes! I may not be that tired, but I am starving. And I love your food.”

Aster tried not to let that go to his head. Jack wasn’t used to any kind of cooking, he imagined. “Probably a step up from whatever raw things you can rustle up.”

Jack looked embarrassed. “Actually…while I don’t sneak around people’s homes, I do snitch food from restaurants. From the kitchen, not from people’s tables. Especially if an order gets messed up, it often disappears before it gets to the trash. Those gourmet chefs are kind of control freaks, though; it’s fun to watch them freak out when things can’t be explained. Although some are catching onto the correlation between that and open windows with cold breezes. There’s no way they can see the food just float out the window, though.”

Okay, now it was going to Aster’s head. “You eat from gourmet restaurants, but you love my food? It’s nothing fancy.”

Grinning, Jack said, “So? It’s delicious. You probably make it with Love, right? Must make all the difference.”

Aster was glad that Jack couldn’t see how his faced warmed from his teasing. Because, yes, now that he was feeding Jack, the rabbit put extra effort into his meals. He wouldn’t call it “Love”, though. “What other secret ingredient is there?”

Jack laughed. “Actually, there’s this one restaurant in France where the chef puts trace amounts of some drug into the meals to addict people and make them come back. Anytime I swing through France, I stop by and steal his drugs. Think control-freak chefs are fun to watch freaking out and accusing people? Try watching a drug-addled chef freaking out and unable to accuse anyone of stealing his drugs. I’ve been trying to think of a way to tip off the cops next time, though. Seeing what happens to his customers is the opposite of fun. They come to him for good food, not to get messed up and have no idea why or how.”

Jack hadn’t turned to look at him, so he didn’t see Aster’s mouth drop open. Jack Frost, secret invisible crime fighter. Who knew? “Very civically responsible of ya, Frostbite. I’m proud of you.”

Whirling around as he came to a dead stop, Jack barely noticed Aster nearly running him over. “You are?”

Just when Aster thought the kid couldn’t get anymore endearing or innocent, Jack proved him wrong. Well, he’d said it before: Jack Frost was nothing if not full of surprises. “Of course, Jack. The rest of us don’t have the time or interest to take in humans, but you do. And you obviously take the welfare of _all_ the humans seriously, not just the children. You’re pretty noble, Frostbite. Especially given how alone you’ve been.”

Jack nodded, but also frowned darkly. “When Arlette started coming to eat there with her parents, it was the final straw. It had been bad, but there was absolutely nothing funny about a child getting messed up on drugs.”

Aster felt anger flare inside him as well. “You want some help figuring out how to tip off the cops, let me know. I might decide that the eggs in his kitchen need a talking-to. He might find them growing legs and walking off.”

That got Aster a brilliant grin from the smaller spirit. “You can do that?”

“I can do a lot of things you don’t know about, Jack.” Aster had only meant to impress Jack a bit with the range of his powers, but Jack got that deep purple frost that looked so fetching on his pale face. Aster realized that might have come out sounding different than he intended. Especially in the low growling tone it had been delivered in. “I _am_ the Easter Bunny, after all.” Hopefully that would mitigate the awkwardness.

Jack giggled and turned back to walking to the Burrow. “You are.”

It wasn’t till Jack opened Aster’s front door and stopped dead again that he spoke. “Bunny. I don’t know where I’d be without you. I’d probably be hurting people and not knowing why. I’m…I’m _so_ glad I have you, Bunny. I’m not alone now that I have you, and you aren’t afraid of me. Not really.”

Aster swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. He was glad Jack’s back was still to him, because tears were threatening his eyes. “You don’t have to keep thanking me, Frostbite. You’re important to me.” Felt a bit dangerous to say that on a personal level, and not simply as one of the Guardians. But it was all too true. Jack was deep under his skin, worming his way to the center of Aster’s heart. The Guardian of Hope was hopelessly screwed.

_And you see the things they never see_ _  
All you wanted I could be  
Now you know me and I'm not afraid   
And I wanna tell you who I am  
Can you help me be a man  
They can't break me  
As long as I know who I am_

I’m Still Here- John Rzeznik (Treasure Island)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to put a second lyrical quote at the end, since it was so different from the beginning. Too much? Do you hate them altogether? Let me know.
> 
> Also, any idea how Jamie might be behind Jack’s power surge around the globe? I know, but I’m curious if there’s enough hints for it to be obvious.
> 
> And it seems fair to warn you, what was intended as a fluffy smutty hurt/comfort fic has gained plot and further darkness. Gotta tweak the summary once we hit those parts. The ice has gotten thinner, folks.


	4. Another Believer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Aster visit Jamie to get to the bottom of Jack’s surge of believers. Surprised (and a bit confused) at the method, they call a meeting of the Guardians to discuss what, if anything, should be done about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurs to me after the last bit of the note last chapter, I sure reassure you: there is fluff, smut, and hurt/comfort to come. Just far more plot bunnies showed up and danced around the Warren than expected. And the end of this chapter is rather heartbreaking.

_Guess what_ _  
You got more than you bargained  
Ain't it crazy   
You got more than you paid for   
So give me just one more chance   
One more glance   
One more hand to hold_

Another Believer- Rufus Wainwright (Meet the Robinsons)

Jack knew that Jamie was by the pond again. He had an innate link to his watery grave that had informed him when Jamie fell in, so he could tell the boy was back at the pond. When Aster and Jack emerged from the tunnel, they saw him sitting at the edge of the ice, right by solid ground. Good to see him being careful, although Jack had frozen the top half of the pond solid. Aster also noted that he had one of those “computers” sitting on his lap.

“Jamie!” Jack called. The boy jumped and set the computer down on the ground to clamber to his feet and run at Jack.

“Jack! You’re okay!” Jamie wrapped his arms around Jack, hugging him tightly. Aster saw Jack’s breath catch.

“Me? You’re the one we should be worried about. How are you feeling?” Jack stooped down to hug the boy back.

“Mom thought I was getting a cold and kept me home from school, but I snuck back out here. Sometimes the others will come with me, but it’s usually just me.” From over Jack’s shoulder, Jamie finally spotted Aster. “Hi, Bunny! Thanks again for saving me.”

Aster smiled. “You know I’d never leave you hanging.”

Jamie let go of Jack, only claiming his hand as Jack stood back up. “Is that why you guys came? To check up on me?”

“Partially, but we also think you might be able to solve a puzzle we’ve got about Jack.” Something in Aster’s tone must have sounded slightly accusatory, because Jamie looked apprehensive and held on tighter to Jack’s hand.

“About Jack? What’s wrong?”

“Jack keeps losing control of his power, and we realized today that he has far more believers than just you and your friends. He says he can feel them all around the globe. He hasn’t been trying to spread his influence, so I thought you might have some idea how belief in him is spreading.” Aster said it as gently as possible, not wanting to frighten the boy.

“Oh,” Jamie said, looking up at Jack then down at the ground. He didn’t let go of Jack’s hand, though.

“How did you do it, Jamie?” Jack asked, squeezing the boy’s hand reassuringly.

Jamie pulled them back over to his laptop. “It isn’t just Jack…though most of it is. I just never wanted him to be forgotten, invisible ever again. He’s so cool; everyone should know about him.”

Jack’s smile was almost blinding, and before Jamie could touch his laptop, Jack had scooped him up and flown him up in the air, touching down after one loop-de-loop. He was hugging the boy when they landed. Jack set Jamie down, holding his hand again as the boy regained his balance.

“Thank you, Jamie. In three hundred years, I never dreamed I’d meet someone like you.”

Why, yes, that was jealousy creeping through Aster. It was ridiculous to be jealous of a little boy, one Aster protected and considered a friend. But Jack was good at making Aster feel all kinds of things he shouldn’t. Things that were going to hurt in the long run.

“Let me show you what I’ve been doing,” Jamie said, letting go of Jack to pick up the laptop. He sat on the cold ground and showed them the face. Screen? Aster was too old fashioned and old to pick this stuff up easily. He lived in a literal hole in the ground.

Aster could read though. “Wait, what’s this in the corner?”

It had numbers next to the names of all the Guardians. North was first, then Aster, then Tooth, then Sandy, then Jack. “Oh! That’s my ‘Believers Poll’. They can check off which of you they believe in. Unfortunately, Jack is still behind the rest of you by a lot, but he’s gone up a lot since I first started the site.”

“What is on the site that’s making them believe, Jamie?” Jack asked gently.

Jamie sounded shy again. “Stories. About how I met you guys. Stories that you told me, Jack. But I make it clear that the stories are real; I met you guys and you exist.”

Crikey. The kid was telling the world about them. Aster wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing or not. They operated on belief, not secrecy, but at the same time, they already had their way to collect believers. Aster never realized until he thought about it how many believers he’d gained. He’d bet that North and the others hadn’t noticed either. Like him, they would have put it down to redoubled efforts to recover from the Pitch Crisis.

Aster looked at the poll. Over three thousand children claimed to believe in Jack Frost. That meant Jack’s out of control power was justified. It was still worrisome how much power he had, compared in scale to Aster’s believers and relative power, but at least now they knew the source.

As Aster read along to the tale of his heroism in saving Jamie from drowning, he puzzled over what to do about this. The other Guardians needed to know, of course. But how were they supposed to explain it when Aster didn’t fully understand the mechanisms himself?

“Jack, I think he needs to come with us to the Pole. Or we could summon everyone to the Warren. I can’t explain how this works, and the others need to be aware of this.”

Jamie looked between Jack and Aster somewhat fearfully. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Nah, not wrong, mate. But you did something important, and it affects all of us, so we need to let everyone know. Yer not in trouble, Jamie.”

“But your taking me to a ‘Warren’? Is that like a prison?” Jamie looked very nervous and was clinging to Jack.

Aster chuckled. “Not like a ‘warden’. A rabbit ‘Warren’. My Warren, Bastion of Springtime and where I live.”

Jack put an arm around Jamie. “It’s really cool. I’ve been helping get it back to rights after that Easter with Pitch, but it’s still incredible and amazing.”

And, yes, Aster internally preened at Jack’s description of his home. “Yer little sister found her way there that Easter. Little ankle-biter had the time of her life.”

Jamie smiled tentatively. “That’s why she was dead to the world on Easter? Mom thought she was sick.” He looked between Jack and the rabbit. “I’ll go with you. I trust you.”

Jack saw Aster about to tap his foot and said, “Wait! That laptop needs something to protect it. You send him flying down the tunnels and it’ll break.”

Huh. Of course the Snowflake hung around humanity enough to pick up things about their crazy technology. “How do you suggest we get him there, then?”

“I have a backpack with a protective part for my laptop.” Jamie reached to grab a tan backpack and slid the laptop in.

“Wear it backwards,” Jack said. “It’s a fun trip down to the Warren, but still too bumpy for that to survive.”

Jamie obeyed, and Aster waited for Jack to nod before tapping his foot. The ground went out from under the boy and Spirit, and Aster hopped in after them. He easily overtook them and was waiting when they came sliding out. They were both still laughing.

“That was awesome!” Jamie cheered as he got to his feet.

“Right?” Jack said in agreement.

“Welcome to the Warren, kid.” Aster knew it was still a bit wrecked from the Nighmares destroying everything in the tunnels before attacking the actual Warren itself.

Jamie looked awestruck all the same. “You _live_ here?”

“He’s got a Burrow where he actually stays. But this place is awesome, right?” Jack asked.

“Totally!” Jamie started to wander a little, taking things in.

“T’be clear, mate, I don’t want my home ending up on your…site.” Aster thought that’s what they’d called it.

Jamie whirled to look at him, eyes innocent and contrite. “Of course not! Just tell me, Bunny, and I’ll keep it a secret all to myself.”

“He gets it, Jamie.” Jack got closer to Aster. “Where do you keep your globe and fancy tile floors and knobs to summon the others?”

Aster snorted. “Special grove. But I don’t think I’ll be using a knob. I don’t want them to panic.”

Instead, Aster squeezed a flower to produce an egg. Aster tapped to open a tunnel to Tooth Palace and dropped the egg in, legs wiggling. He repeated it for the Pole and for the Sand Castle. The holes stayed open and it didn’t take long for the others to arrive. North came first, arriving with a boisterous laugh. Sandy floated out with nothing more than a soft rustle of sand on sand. Tooth came zooming out of hers, accompanied by five fairies, one of which immediately went to Jack.

As soon as North got his bearings, he spotted Jamie. “What is Last Light doing in Warren?”

Toothiana had been buzzing about giving orders to her fairies but fell silent as she looked at Jamie. Sandy had a question mark form above his head.

“Have you summoned Jack?” Toothiana asked. “Jamie is _his_ first believer, you know.”

“How _do_ we summon Jack?” North asked. “He has no base to contact him at.”

Jack cleared his throat. He was standing behind where they’d arrived, and Jamie had caught their attention, so they failed to notice his chill. When he saw how shy and uncertain Jamie looked, Jack went to hold his hand. “Already here. And something…unprecedented has happened.” He nodded to Aster, since it was his home.

“You all felt stronger, more believed in lately, right?” Aster asked. When the three Guardians nodded, he said, “Did you stop to think about how many new believers you’ve gained?”

All three shook their heads and frowned. “It’s-” North began.

“A lot,” Toothiana finished. Sandy had a number counter running over his head.

“Same here. And Jack has over three thousand believers now. He can’t contain all the power he’s gotten.” Aster pointed to where Jack had tried to wear himself out.

Toothiana gasped. “What happened?”

There was splintered, split, and twisted wood, and cracked stone where the targets had been. “That’s five or six hours of non-stop, powerful blasts of ice in the Springtime of the Warren. Hardly winded him.”

The three newly arrived Guardians looked at Jack with various degrees of excitement, admiration, and some healthy wariness. “Where did you get these new believers, Jack?” North asked.

“Same place you all got most of yours: Jamie.” Jack squeezed the boy’s hand.

Under the scrutiny of the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Sandman, Jamie shrunk and wrapped his arms around Jack. “I’m sorry.”

Aster hopped over to stand next to the boy as well. “Don’t be sorry, mate. We just need you to help them understand what’s happened.”

Jamie told them how he’d written down the stories about all of them and posted them on a site online. It took time to get the concepts through to the three ancient beings, and Aster was still a little confused himself, but the gist of it got across, most importantly the part that had people all over the globe suddenly believing in them. It wasn’t even all children.

When Jamie finally got out his laptop to show them the site, he said, “Oh, no!”

“What?” Aster asked, alarmed. This fragile and confusing new concept was volatile in his mind, dangerous. For all he knew it might blow the Warren sky-high.

“It makes sense, but there’s no Wi-Fi here. I can’t show you the whole site.”

“Why what?” North asked.

“Wi-Fi. It’s what computers use to connect to the Internet if they don’t have a hard connection.” Jack was casual about it, but everyone, Aster and Jamie included, looked at him like he’d grown another head. “What?”

“I didn’t think you knew so much, Jack. I mean, you’ve obviously kept up with me, but…” Jamie seemed impressed.

“You know how these things work, Jack?” Toothiana asked.

Jack sighed. “Three hundred years alone, people. I can’t freeze everything constantly, or it’d get boring. So I learn. It can be fun, if it’s something I’m interested in.”

Aster hadn’t known that. “Point of all this is, we have a new channel bringing believers our way. Not sure what, if anything, should be done about it.”

“Well, we have a few options. We could let it go, let what happens happen.” North was the first one to suggest that.

“We could ask Jamie nicely not to write anymore,” Toothiana said, though Jamie winced at the suggestion. Clearly, he didn’t want to stop spreading belief.

A few symbols appeared over Sandy’s head rapidly, and Aster said, “Sandy’s right. We could use it. If Pitch’s plan proved anything, it’s that we’ve become predictable, and he knew just how to cut off our belief.”

Jack nodded. “Bunny has it right. The internet is viral; ideas spread and they never get fully extinguished. Jamie’s come up with a failsafe to keep us going in case of emergency.”

Jamie murmured something only Aster understood, but everyone got quiet so he could repeat it. “I really mainly did it so Jack will never be invisible again. Even after I grow up…even after I’m gone…he’ll always have someone to believe in him.”

The group went silent as tears flowed down Jack’s face in a sudden flood. Jack probably hadn’t thought about how Jamie wouldn’t be a kid forever. How he wouldn’t live forever like they did. Jack knelt to hug Jamie, shaking with silent sobs.

“I’m sorry, Jack. Don’t cry,” Jamie said, but tears were sliding down his face as well.

Aster’s heart was breaking. Poor Snowflake had seen countless humans live and die, more closely than the rest of them, but Jack had said it himself: in three hundred years he had never met anyone like Jamie. And he knew he’d never meet someone as special as Jamie again.

Toothiana was ushering them to a secluded grove, including Jack’s Baby Tooth, trying to give the boys some privacy. Aster went along, but his ears heard it all. “You’re not supposed to leave me, Jamie.”

“I have to. It probably won’t be for a long time, but…can I even see you once I grow up? Even if I believe? I just don’t want you to ever feel that alone and ignored again. You’re too important, too special to be forgotten.

“The same goes for you. You can’t just leave and never come back.”

“…When Grandma died, they told me she wasn’t dead, not completely. She’s not dead, because I remember her. She’s always alive when I think of her. You told me that I was a Guardian too, because my belief in all of you kept you safe inside me. I know you’ll always keep me safe, Jack. Always.”

Jack was outright sobbing. It didn’t take Aster’s ears, the others heard it too. The solemn mourning on their faces no doubt mirrored Aster’s. They’d all met someone special. They’d all lost someone special.

It was a brave little boy comforting an immortal being about the boy’s own mortality. Aster didn’t think Jamie should be thinking about anything like that at his age, but from what he could tell, it was all stemming from Jamie’s love for Jack. Jack’s True Believer loved him enough to secure a legacy for the Spirit before the boy was even close to puberty. It was as heartbreaking as it was heartwarming, but all Aster could think was that Jack had a new round of nightmares to add to his collection.

_If you remember me, everyone else can forget_

_Everyone else can forget_

_Tell them I have nothing, nothing_

_Cause I'd rather go blind_

_Than watch you walk out of my life_

_Turn my face up to the sky_

_You know we all, we all, we all, we all cry_

_Heart on the line for the love we've left behind_

_I can't let you go this time,_

_[Oh, I know you hear me cry]_

Cry- Eurielle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That got super-sad out of nowhere. Well, I wrote this late at night, when my meds aren’t working, so I was crying through the whole thing too. Dehydration headache.
> 
> So, we’ve gotten pretty sad and this isn’t even the plot developments. This is spontaneous unplanned angst. Let me know how you feel about all this.
> 
> Also, when I first put the second lyric quote, I thought it was Jamie, saying that Jack remembering him is all he needs. But when I read the whole thing again, I realized it’s Jack saying that he doesn’t need anyone else to believe in him but Jamie if it meant Jamie didn’t have to leave him. :C


	5. A Soft Place to Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After deciding to use modern technology, the Guardians send Jamie home. Sandy notices something about Jack all on his own. Later, Aster struggles with being in constant close quarters with the spirit he finds he can’t resist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got some fun fluff/hint-of-almost-smut to perk you up after the end of the last chapter.

_Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream_ _  
Make him the cutest that I've ever seen  
Give him the word that I'm not a rover  
Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over_

Mr. Sandman- The Chordettes

Aster was talking to Toothiana when Jack returned from taking Jamie home. The Guardians all fell silent and looked at the young Spirit. Sandy, however, looking critical and determined, flew over to Jack, and symbols flew over his head too fast for Aster to interpret. Whatever they said, it had Jack glaring at Aster.

“You promised you wouldn’t tell him!” Jack had a fierce scowl and a tight grip on his staff, and the temperature in the area dropped significantly, not to mention a layer of frost covering Aster. It was a familiar, welcome feeling by now.

“I didn’t!” Aster protested. All the other Guardians were alarmed by Jack’s unconscious display of power.

North recovered first. “Bunny said nothing to Sandy; Sandy was talking to me. What is promise you speak of?”

Surprise, then embarrassment registered on Jack’s face as the temperature grew to normal. “Are you okay?” Toothiana asked Aster as the frost melted.

“No harm done; it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” Whoops. Here they went.

“Before?” Tooth looked from the mangled targets, to Jack, to Aster. “Has Jack been spending time with you?”

Jack didn’t answer, still looking sheepish, so Aster said, “Jack has been helping me put the Warren to rights, so he started staying here yesterday.” Aster shot a look at Jack. “Can I tell them _now_?” Jack nodded and covered his face with his hands. “Frostbite had a bad nightmare last night. We saved Jamie from drowning in Jack’s pond yesterday, and Jack had a nightmare about his own death. Apparently, this nightmare business has been going on for _three hundred years_. He’s set on dealing with it alone and made me promise not to tell Sandy. Which I _didn’t_.”

Jack nodded, face still hidden. “Jack, why do you not want for Sandy to know?” North asked.

Dropping his hands, Jack shrugged. “Just didn’t seem worth bothering him. I’m used to it. He has better things to do.”

Sandy shook his head at the same time Toothiana’s mouth opened and she covered it with her hand. “Jack. Whatever you’ve been dealing with, you have us now. Don’t keep us out.” Toothiana flittered close enough to slide her arms around him without alarming him. Jack shivered.

“We are family, Jack. Family help each other.” North looked very serious.

“That’s what I told him!” Aster said. He hopped closer to North and added, “I think we should start having those get-togethers at your place again. At least until he gets it through the permafrost he calls a skull how important he is to us.”

North nodded. “Agreed, old friend. Jack should not be alone.”

Toothiana released Jack, and Jack looked down at whatever Sandy was signing him. It was always harder to read from behind the little man. “Do I have to?” Jack asked. Sandy just shrugged.

“What is happening?” North asked.

“Sandy wants to put me out so he can see my day dreams and nightmares,” Jack told them. His eyes flicked to Aster before he asked Sandy, “Would everyone be able to see them?”

Sandy shook his head. Jack bit his lip, which was distracting, then said, “Okay.”

Aster hopped over to Jack, taking the boy’s hand. “C’mon, I’ve got a soft patch of grass with your name on it.”

It wasn’t far from where they stood, and Aster helped Jack lie down. Sandy stood over the boy and blinked, sand sprinkling over Jack’s eyes.

Aster stood back with Toothiana and North as a fine tendril of Dreamsand issued from each of Sandy’s hands and slid into Jack’s ears. Sandy’s eyes closed, and he looked troubled, and confused. It was only a minute or so of this before Sandy cut off the tendrils and Jack woke up.

“What happened?” Jack asked, still bleary-eyed. He paid attention as Sandy started signing them all.

[Jack’s nightmares are obviously deeply rooted in his subconscious. If Jack doesn’t want to stay with me to keep the nightmares at bay, he needs to address some of the issues that are causing the nightmares to begin with. He shouldn’t be alone, since that is one of the problems. He should stay with one of us.]

The round face with tall ears was unmistakable. “Why me?!” Aster asked. He wasn’t quite crying it out, but there was a desperate quality underlying in his tone. He was in over his head having the Snowflake over for a few days. Having the kid stay longer was going to get awkward and end badly, no question.

The spike of hurt that crossed Jack’s face made Aster backtrack. “I mean, Frostbite has other places he’d rather be, right? Why stick him with the grumpy old rabbit?”

Now Jack’s face frosted over with purple. Shit. “I like staying with you in your Burrow.”

And damn if that didn’t get Aster all kinds of flustered in front of everybody. The kid blushing like a schoolgirl at all of it was also all kinds of unhelpful. He tried to stay cool. “Of course, you’re welcome, Jack. Just wasn’t sure my place was really the best for you. But whatever helps get rid of those nightmares.”

And wasn’t that the truth. The idea of Jack choking and screaming himself awake was painful. And part of Aster didn’t want anyone else to see it, to be who Jack relied upon. It really was hopeless at this point.

There was a short silence before North said, “It is settled, then. Jack will stay with Bunny. And _I_ will be having you all over in a week. We never had proper celebration to welcome Jack.”

Jack looked very surprised at that. “For me?”

“Of course!” North said, his booming baritone full of cheer. “Is lapse on my part it has not happened already.”

“We’ve been distracted with rebuilding after Pitch,” Toothiana said. “He’s right, Jack; we would have had it by now.”

A pointed party hat appeared over Sandy’s head, and he gave Jack two thumbs up. Jack smiled, shyly pleased. “I’d like that.”

“Of course you would,” North said, in the same self-assured tone he used when he said that Jack wanted to be a Guardian. At least he was actually right this time.

Suddenly there was a flurry of “back to business” among the three visitors. Toothiana’s fairies received orders again, North started making a list for the party (Aster knew he’d check it twice), and Sandy started conjuring Dreamsand to work between his hands.

  
“We’ll see you then, fellas,” Aster said. A quick tap in front of each Guardian had a tunnel opening under them. When the tunnels closed, it was just Jack and Aster.

A moment of quiet stretched before Aster said, “Sandy give you any other pointers on dealing with nightmares?”

Jack glanced up at him, then away. “Just that I could rely on you. He said to trust you with all my fears.”

Aster warmed a bit. Sandy knew. He knew how Aster was feeling about the boy. Of course, Sandy also obviously had some grudge against Aster that the rabbit never knew about. Because making Aster spend all this time with a boy he was hopelessly pining for was cruel. Or, Aster supposed, it could just be the price of healing Jack. Which Sandy knew Aster would gladly pay. Who needed their sanity anyway?

(-)

After another day of working in the dirt, Jack was gaining a dangerously enticing smell. His natural musk, usually subdued since a Spirit of Frost didn’t really sweat, was coming out, and it was starting to drive Aster mad.

“I don’t want to, Bunny!” Jack protested.

“Yer not sleeping in my nest until you’ve had a bath,” Aster said firmly. The boy was dressed in only a towel standing beside the basin tub in the floor of Aster’s bathroom. Aster was using self-control he’d gained from centuries of practice to not do something inappropriate.

“Then I’ll sleep on the floor,” Jack replied.

“I’m not having ya stink up my Burrow when you can take a quick bath to get clean. C’mon, Frostbite. The water is lukewarm, not hot, and it’s only getting colder. It won’t hurt you, promise.”

“You can’t make me,” Jack said, somewhat petulantly, and turned to run.

Never race a rabbit. Aster had ahold of the boy before he got more than a step in. “You’ll be fine, Jack. It won’t burn you.”

Aster tried to lift the boy in, dimly noting that Jack had lost his towel in the struggle and diligently not looking. When Jack got over the tub and Aster was about to let go, Jack grabbed Aster’s arms and pulled, only trying to pull himself away from the water, but ended up pulling Aster forward into the bath with him.

It was a deep bath, mimicking the natural bodies of water Aster used to bathe in, and when Aster surfaced, he was ready to be irritated with Jack. That was, until Jack broke the surface, shaking and clinging onto the rabbit. “Don’tletmegounderdon’tletmegounderdon’tletmegounder…”

Aster was an idiot. He pulled the trembling boy close to him. “You aren’t going to drown, Snowflake. I’ve got ya. You’re supposed to tell me about things like this.”

Jack’s panic had a layer of ice forming on top of the bath while the water underneath grew arctic cold. The sting was less pleasant when Aster was submerged in it, and he broke through the ice as he pulled them out of the water.

The little Spirit was still shaking in Aster’s grip, and the rabbit held him tightly, making soothing sounds and running his paws over Jack’s skin, all above the belt. “C’mon, Jackie-boy. Yer safe with me. I didn’t know, didn’t realize…”

Frostbite was straddling Aster by now, legs wrapped around his waist, arms wrapped around his chest, and Aster was very happy for the arctic temperatures.

When Jack’s trembling subsided, he said, “Sorry, Bunny. I made a mess again.”

Aster pulled Jack’s head back to meet his gaze, dimly aware he might be pulling the Snowflake’s hair a little. Jack’s eyes were wide as Aster said, “This is all on me, Snowflake. I wasn’t thinking. I was focused on the temperature of the water, not the depth. Although you’re supposed to tell me these things too. I don’t want to do stupid things to hurt you.”

Jack smiled, purple frost on his cheeks. “’Snowflake’? Careful, Bunny, that sounds downright affectionate. Don’t want to give me the wrong idea.”

Aster was going to thump the boy. “For Easter’s sake, Jack. I thought we’d moved past our grudges.” Although, Aster had told himself that he wasn’t going to use that pet name outside of his own head. Just another modicum of control blown to pieces by Jack Frost. He was making a mess out of Aster.

Jack’s eyes were curious. “Yeah, but I didn’t think I rated ‘Snowflake’. It’s a lot nicer than ‘Frostbite’.”

“You like it, huh?” Aster asked. When Jack nodded shyly, Aster sighed. “Guess it stays then. But ‘Frostbite’ stays too. I like ‘em both.”

Jack sighed and shifted in the rabbits arms a bit. Then his eyes flew wide open, fear in them as they met Aster’s, and deep purple frost gathered on Jack’s face. “Bunny?”

“Yeah, Snowflake?”

“I’m naked.”

Aster snorted, trying not to sound like that panicked him too. “Yeah, you are. Better get you a robe. Think the towel got knocked in the water in the struggle.” He gently disengaged Jack to grab a fluffy pink bathrobe from a drawer of linens. It wasn’t something Aster really used anymore, but it wasn’t musty.

He tossed it on the boy, covering all the bits Aster wanted- _didn’t_ want to see. Jack didn’t put it on, just slid it over his lap to preserve his modesty. “What happened to me stinking up your Burrow?”

Aster sighed. “You like a shower? It’s nice and relaxing, more like rain than any body of water.”

Jack nodded. “Those always looked nice. Some people really enjoy them. Usually guys.”

Do not react, do not react. “Yeah, well, you enjoy yours the regular amount, okay? I’ll get the taps going. Once it’s the right temperature I’ll give you some privacy.”

Aster had it all set up and was halfway out the door before he added, “And you know I’ll hear ya if ya need help.”

“Thanks, Bunny.”

Now Aster just had to calm himself down. He couldn’t give in, because he knew when he caved to this urge, it would be all downhill from there. He’d start doing it all the time, and Jack would catch him at it before long. Didn’t need to scar and scare the boy like that. Probably wasn’t anything like prepared to see the rabbit’s physiology. Aster wasn’t ashamed, not really, but he was aware that it wasn’t the sort of thing Jack would find attractive.

There, that depressing thought was cooling him down. It was a little perverse that Jack’s power, which helped to dampen any physical arousal, had also started to turn Aster on. And when the Snowflake held onto Aster for dear life and frosted Aster’s fur over…well, those were very unhelpful thoughts.

His ear twitched as Jack, ever so quietly, said, “Bunny.”

Aster hopped back to the bathroom, not bothering to knock. “You needed something?”

Jack gasped, probably having expected the rabbit to knock. The frosted glass door of Aster’s spacious shower was also actually frosted over, making it impossible to see Jack, though.

“I-I was just wondering…should I use the robe instead of a towel? It’s fluffy enough.” Jack sounded flustered, and Aster scolded himself for not knocking.

“If it pleases ya, Snowflake. Yer clothes are getting a wash too, so you might be wearing it for a bit.”

“Okay. Thanks again, Bunny.”

When the door was closed, Jack whispered, ever so softly, “Can you hear this, Bunny?”

Testing his ears, eh? “I can hear ya, Frostbite. I can hear whatever you do or say, so I’ll know if you need me. Don’t worry.” He spoke loud enough to be heard through the door and got a noise that he couldn’t decide if it was a groan, moan, or whimper in return. And he wasn’t sure what to make of that.

(-)

As predicted, Aster was woken by Jack crying. He went right into his room, immediately feeling the temperature drop, but it wasn’t frosted over. Jack was awake. He’d curled into a ball in the center of the nest, and he looked so tiny compared to the spacious bed.

Aster hopped into the nest and tried to uncurl the boy, but he refused. Since Jack was lying on his side, Aster just lay on his side behind him, putting an arm over the boy. He was surprised how quickly the little Snowflake uncurled after that. Jack was quite eager to spread against him to be his little spoon, letting the rabbit put an arm around his middle. This was far too cozy and pleasant to be safe.

“Jamie?” Aster guessed.

Jack nodded, still crying softly. “I don’t know what to do. He’s going to die, Bunny, and I don’t know what to do!”

It broke Aster’s heart to say, “Nothing you really _can_ do, Snowflake. Immortality doesn’t have a lot of downsides, but that’s a big one. It’s one reason most of us don’t spend too much time with any one person; we know how it hurts in the end. But Jamie is special; I understand why you can’t keep away from him.”

“So I really am supposed to be alone for eternity.” The statement was flat and hollow at the same time.

“Snowflake, you might remember that you have a whole family now. We’ve all been alive longer than you, and we’ll keep living as long as you. Between us and Jamie getting you more believers, you’re never going to be alone and invisible ever again.”

Jack twisted in his grip to face him and give him a hug, and the sheer proximity and intimacy of the moment, right in Aster’s nest, made the rabbit feel deliriously happy, content, and, yes, the beginnings of arousal. Shit.

Aster couldn’t just push Jack away. Not right now, when Jack needed him. But in all his years, he hadn’t really faced this predicament. If someone was in his nest, it was because he wanted to bed them, so arousal was part of the plan. Outside of that, no one stayed with Aster. Until now. Until the Guardian of Fun, Jack Frost, came into his life, and the brave face he wore cracked in front of Aster’s eyes. Aster didn’t doubt that Jack hadn’t been this open since he was first born, before isolation and neglect had hardened him. Jack trusted Aster with his vulnerability, and the rabbit would never forgive himself if he broke that trust.

That thought actually settled him a little. The hug was all about comforting Jack. Nothing to do with Aster. He held the Spirit close, and the little pleased hums and slight squirming were not helpful to Aster’s resolution of chaste thoughts. It was like the boy had magnetic fingers that drew him to Aster’s buttons. Or, more likely, Aster just found everything about Jack attractive. It was a bad sign.

“Think you can get back to sleep by yourself, Snowflake?”

Jack shook his head, and Aster could feel it on his chest. When he didn’t say anything, Aster said, “Let’s get up for a bit and get some lemonade.” Jack nodded.

Aster pulled the boy up gently and lead him to the kitchen. Two glasses of lemonade were taken into the living room. This time Jack crawled up next to him on the couch. There was some silence while they drank, until Aster said, “So, what are we to do to help your nightmares?”

“Sandy said to trust you. I guess you should know.” Jack shrugged.

The rabbit groaned. “Sandy thinks too highly of my counseling skills. He said we needed to work on your issues. I’m not really the guy you’d ask about anything like that. Right now it’s Jamie, right?”

Jack nodded, his face small and sad as he tried to get closer to Aster. Aster said, “You know you have a while before you need to worry about this. Kid hasn’t hit puberty yet. And, yes, Jack, Jamie will be able to see you when he grows up. As long as he believes, which he always will.”

That made Jack turn to him and frown. “How do you know about that?”

Aster deliberately twitched his ears. “Not much I don’t hear, Frostbite.”

Jack blushed abruptly, purple suddenly all over his face. Aster wasn’t sure why. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Jack said.

“Anyway, my point is, this isn’t something you should be worrying about. Enjoy the time you have with the kid. Jamie will enjoy all the time and attention you give him.”

That brought a smile to Jack’s face. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Aster smiled back. He glanced at Jack’s empty glass. “Ready to try for some more sleep?”

Jack’s smile diminished somewhat, but he nodded. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll have you getting sweet dreams soon.”

“I’ve never had dreams.” Jack bit his lip. “They sound so nice.”

Aster left their glasses in the living room and escorted Jack back to his nest. He got Jack settled and tucked him in. “You’re safe here, Jack. Sweet dreams.”

Jack nodded and snuggled in, looking comfortable. Aster resisted the urge to kiss him and went back into the living room to get the glasses. He set them in the sink for the morning and settled down on the couch again. A twitch of an ear let him know that Jack had already fallen asleep, his breathing even and slow.

Never had a dream. But everyone needs dreams, and not just waking ones. Aster considered that a Spirit of Frost like Jack might be more used to ice than snow, but not all of Jack’s life should be hard surfaces. Aster resolved that Jack would have access to the rabbit’s comfortable nest and home for as long as he needed or wanted. No more would trees, rooftops, and barren icy wastelands be the only places for the boy to run to.

_But hold them and keep them  
And know that you need them  
When your breaking point's all that you have  
A dream is a soft place to land_

A Soft Place to Land- Sara Bareilles (Waitress)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the lyric quote makes sense. (The fact that it starts referring to “them” with no antecedent to rely upon might be confusing for some, IDK.) Also hope you enjoyed the fluff/hint-of-almost-smut in this. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these developments.


	6. I Will Never (Be Your Friend)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster visits North to ask a favor and then is in for a surprise at Jack’s party. Later, he and Jack spend time together in quiet companionship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now that we’ve had sad and fun, back to slightly more plotty bits. Also, the parenthetical words after the artist for the lyric quotes are where I found the song, if in anything but random chance. Or if the song I found has an origin like a musical.

_I will never be your friend_ _  
Life has always been worse than it seemed  
I feel so sad, I just pretend  
You’re so close, but so far away from me_

I Will Never (Be Your Friend)- Irish Stew of Sindidun (Welcome to Hell)

The next day, Aster left Jack in charge of the work. When Jack asked why, the rabbit said, “Gonna take a quick trip to the Pole. Talk to North about your party.”

It was only a half-lie. Aster’s business related to the party. Sort of. Really, his mind was fixed on the image of Jack curled alone in his nest the last night. So small. And Aster could not stay with him. A few minutes of cuddling proved how bad an idea that was.

So, he sought to fix it. And for that, he needed North’s help. It was something North could do far better than Aster ever could.

When he had arrived at the Workshop and been greeted by North, he explained his request. “Jack sleeps alone in my nest. I think if he had something to sleep with it might help keep some of his nightmares away.”

“Why do _you_ not sleep with him?” North asked with a smile and a cheery gleam in his eyes.

Aster scowled at that, hopefully giving the impression that he and the Snowflake were still fighting and getting on each other’s nerves. Nevermind that they’d never got along better than they were now. He didn’t need North reading into this and realizing what Aster did not want anyone to know. Sandy had already figured it out somehow.

And no one else could find out because it would never become anything more. No one should know how Aster felt because they’d just feel sorry for him.

“I thought a stuffed toy might do the trick. No one makes toys better than you, so I thought you could make something suitable for him.” Aster did not address North’s question. Better to ignore it.

“Da. Is good idea. I will make something wonderful for our friend.” Aster could see North running ideas through his head even as he said that.

“Okay. I’d better get back and make sure he hasn’t frozen the Warren solid or something. The kid is unbelievable.”

Aster was ready to tap open a tunnel when North said, “Do you not wonder why?”

That gave Aster pause. “Of course I do. Frostbite is the strangest little creature I’ve met. But that’s always been the case.”

North was shaking his head. “No, I mean _why_. Manny chose him to be Guardian, but before that, he chose to make Jack a Spirit that could exist independent of belief. A Spirit who had tremendous power before he was known to any human, and whose power grew frightfully fast as he gained believers. Manny does nothing without reason.”

Aster blinked. He hadn’t considered that Snowflake had reason to be such an aberration. It had always just been a fact of who Jack Frost was. But North was right, Manny didn’t do anything without a greater purpose. What greater purpose did he have in mind for Jack?

“Maybe that’s true. But until he decides to clue us in, I can’t do anything but accept Jack for who and what he is.” The voice in his mind that whispered that he did much more than _accept_ Jack was viciously smothered.

North beamed at him. “Indeed! Jack is in great hands with you. Perhaps he should stay at the Warren forever, da?” It was said in jest, at least Aster thought it was.

Jack couldn’t stay forever because Aster’s heart wouldn’t be able to take it. He could pretend his feelings for the boy amounted to just friendship for only so long before the truth of the matter came out. He couldn’t lose Jack, and Aster was certain finding out that an overgrown rabbit was keen on you was the type of thing to drive the boy away. Aster could pretend as long as he didn’t have to do it every minute of every day. Still, he couldn’t explain this to North.

“Not unless you want to be down a Guardian, one way or the other. Keep us together too long, and one of us is bound to kill the other. You seem to forget that Jack and I don’t have the best history.” Aster had to keep up the idea that he and Jack were bickering and fighting like they used to. Couldn’t let people realize that Jack had slid into Aster’s home, life, and heart like a puzzle piece that had been missing.

“You seem to get along greatly when you summoned us,” North said. His tone was light, but his persistence in this suggestion was worrying.

Aster fought not to show any panic. “We were working. Trying to contain his power, then trying to figure out the cause. Sure, we work together better. Doesn’t mean that we don’t drive each other up the wall when there’s no serious work to do.”

North just smiled. “Party is day after tomorrow. 5:00 p.m., da?”

Aster just nodded and opened a tunnel. He made it back to the Warren in no time at all. He emerged from a tunnel close to where Jack was helping him replant. Jack looked up at his abrupt entrance and smiled. “Bunny! I was wondering how long you’d be gone.”

The Snowflake was waiting for him. Had missed him. Aster’s heart constricted as he tried to dismiss these things. The Guardian of Hope could not afford any for himself. It was just that he and Jack were actually getting along well, despite what Aster wanted North to believe. Nothing more to it.

“Not too long. Your party is the day after tomorrow. Late afternoon.” Aster eyed the dirt on the boy where he worked, and again smelled that aroma arising of the boy’s musk. “Probably a shower tonight and then one before the party, yeah?”

Jack nodded. “Warm water is nice.”

The couple of showers Aster had taken since Jack had started staying with him had been as cold as he could get them. It was successful at killing any erections, but still turned him on, making him think of Jack’s power covering his fur, cold digging under his skin. Aster was in a special kind of Hell.

(-)

North’s party was nice. Food and drink, laughter and stories, and Aster could see how Jack warmed under the attention and affection. And, no, he did not feel any jealousy at all. The problem, of course, came when the other three Guardians pulled out gifts for Jack.

Aster felt embarrassed and stupid. He had given North an idea for his own gift, but Aster hadn’t considered what he himself might be able to give Jack. So now he had to tell Jack he’d forgotten, and he had nothing to give the boy.

Jack started by unwrapping the small box Toothiana handed him. It was a jewelry box, and Jack’s eyes widened when he opened it. He delicately removed the silver snowflake. At the top, however, instead of just another arm of the snowflake, was a tall, golden feather. Jack looked at Toothiana with inquiry in his eyes.

“If you need help, it’ll summon Baby Tooth, who will give you whatever help she can.” Toothiana smiled at him, gleaming white teeth showing as she obviously hoped Jack would like her gift.

Jack looked to the little fairy that always came with Toothiana when she was going to see Jack, that always gravitated towards him whenever the little thing could. It had a tall yellow feather much like Toothiana’s which helped distinguish it from the rest. “That’s okay? I know your fairies all have duties…”

Toothiana shook his concerns away. “Baby Tooth has bonded with you, Jack. You already have a connection. Coming to your aid is as much her duty as collecting teeth. This just gives you a direct line to summon her.”

The little fairy squeaked and flew to nuzzle Jack’s face. Jack grinned, and Toothiana beamed. Jack said, “Thank you, Tooth. It’s a wonderful present.” He looked at the little fairy that hovered around him and said, “And thank you for being my friend. Especially when I had no one else.”

Ouch. That stung. From what Aster had learned after the dust had settled, Jack had traded his staff to Pitch in exchange for Baby Tooth. It was right after Easter when Aster had lashed out at Jack as he himself succumbed to despair. While they were trapped in a hole in the Antarctic, she had activated his teeth to return his memories, giving him the clarity and purpose that led to him saving them all.

Sandy stepped forward to press a little gift bag into Jack’s hands. Jack pulled out the tissue paper and removed a little bottle, no larger than Jack’s thumb, full of Dreamsand. Jack drew in a breath as he looked between Sandy and the bottle. The image of a tag on a string appeared above Sandy’s head as he nodded at the bottle. Jack noticed the tag and read it.

“Dreamsand. Use sparingly when nightmares keep you from falling back asleep. Warning: overuse can lead to decreased results and eventual immunity to Dreamsand.”

Jack once again looked from the bottle to Sandy, then leapt forward to hug the small man. “Thank you, Sandy. Thank you.”

His words were quiet and fervent, and Aster doubted anyone besides Sandy and himself could hear them. And, no, Aster still wasn’t jealous.

Now North brought forth a large box wrapped in bright red paper with silver snowflakes. The size alone made Aster uneasy, though he wasn’t sure why. Jack started tearing into the paper, looking curious and excited. When the box was revealed, Jack lifted the lid slightly and peeked in. His face lit up, and he shoved the lid off and removed a stuffed rabbit, of Aster’s coloring, that was almost as large as the boy himself.

Aster debated if he should just die where he stood or kill North, whose eyes were gleaming with jolly cheer. “What the hell is that?” he asked before he realized what he was saying.

Jack turned to him, rabbit in his arms, looking confused. “It’s a stuffed rabbit.”

North decided to chime in. “It was Bunny’s idea. He thought would be good to help keep nightmares away.”

Aster felt far too warm as Jack’s curious gaze fell upon him. “I said stuffed animal. I thought you’d make him a little teddy bear to hug.” Of course, now Aster could see how foolish that was. When North made something special, it was truly _special_. Wonderful creations were his gift.

And clearly, he thought it would be wonderful to give Jack a giant stuffed rabbit that, while still a generic rabbit shape, had his coloring on what looked like fur instead of just fabric. Aster tried to ignore the way Jack clung to it, obviously finding it wonderful too.

“This is wonderful,” Jack said, reading Aster’s mind. “Thanks, North. Thank you, Bunny, for thinking of me.” The second thanks was far more subdued and shy.

“You are welcome,” the big man boomed in a cheerful voice.

Aster, however… “I didn’t think enough to get a present myself. Sorry, Frostbite.”

Jack just smiled at him. “You’ve already given me more than I could have asked for.”

Even as he smiled back, Aster felt uncomfortable under the gazes of the other Guardians. Sandy raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing smile. North’s smile was cheerful, but there was a gleam in his eyes that was far more sly than Aster liked. Toothiana’s smile was simple enough, but her face was laced with an expression Aster couldn’t interpret. He got the sinking feeling his secret was only a secret from Jack now. And maybe not even _that_ for much longer.

Toothiana saved him from the moment. “I brought some fresh fruit in addition to all of North’s sweets for dessert.” She glanced at North. “And I maintain that fruitcake is a horrible perversion of both fruit and cake.”

It was an old argument, and North just scoffed. “Is delicious. I have cookies and regular cakes too. Come, let us eat.”

Both Jack and Aster were stuffed to the rafters on sweets and fruits by the time they made their goodbyes. Jack hugged the others, slightly shaking as he pulled away, and Aster just gave the other Guardians a nod before he opened a tunnel underneath them. Jack curled his stuffed rabbit into a ball and clutched it protectively as they slid back to the Warren.

When they emerged from the tunnel, Jack seemed to want to say something. Aster just gave him a look and a nod, hopefully encouraging the boy to speak.

“I meant what I said, you know. You’ve given me so much. I don’t need extra gifts.”

Aster didn’t know what to say to that. He settled on, “I’m glad yer happy, Frostbite. And hopefully we’ll get these nightmares taken care of.”

Jack nodded and pulled the Dreamsand out of his pocket. “And now we have a backup. Just in case.”

“That was thoughtful of Sandy. Although now that he knows you have nightmares, it puts you very much in his wheelhouse, so to speak.”

Jack looked thoughtful. “How could I become immune to Dreamsand? It doesn’t happen to the children.”

Aster shrugged. “You aren’t a child. You aren’t human. Probably Spirits are affected differently and can build a tolerance to it.”

They walked back to the Burrow, where Aster decided they didn’t need to eat dinner so soon after North’s feast. But since they weren’t working or eating, what were they to do? Aster usually read or painted in his free time, but Jack froze things and caused mischief, which Aster wasn’t about to let him do in the Warren. “What do you say, Snowflake? We’ve got a bit of free time.”

Jack looked startled, still clutching his stuffed rabbit. “What do you normally do?”

“Read. Paint.”

“You paint?” Jack asked, then flushed purple as Aster raised an eyebrow at him in question. “I mean, of course you do. But I didn’t realize you painted anything but eggs.”

Aster shrugged. “These days I mostly sketch with pencil or charcoal. Not as satisfying, but I don’t really have the inspiration for a full painting.”

Jack smiled. “Maybe you could work on that. What kind of books to you have?”

Aster showed Jack to the three bookshelves tucked in the corner of the den. “I have one more bookshelf in my room, but here’s what I’ve got here.”

Jack perused the shelves and picked a book. It was “The Witches” by Roald Dahl. Aster had a lot of children’s stories. “Sounds interesting,” Jack said as he read the back.

“Kids triumphing over evil adults. You’ll probably enjoy it, Frostbite.”

As Jack settled into the armchair with his book, his stuffed rabbit resting on the chair near the door, Aster got his art supplies and, inevitably, started sketching Jack as he read. It was so cozy, domestic, and natural to spend time together this way that Aster wondered why things couldn’t always be like this. Then he looked at his sketch, and saw how the lines made Jack look soft, tender. How the armchair seemed to hold onto the beautiful figure and protect it. Right. That was why. The feelings Aster had that Jack would never have made this too painful to last long term.

Aster jumped a little when he looked up from his sketch to see Jack’s eyes gazing back into his. They held curiosity and entreaty, and they confused Aster. Jack said, “Anything inspiring you?”

Aster gulped visibly, he knew, before he said, “Well, nothing to paint yet. But I have new material in my Burrow now.” He knew Jack was going to ask to see the drawing.

“Can I see?” Jack asked, putting the bookmark in his book. Aster had a bookmark already in every book, so he never needed to look for one.

Hesitantly, Aster turned his sketch pad around and offered it to Jack. Jack took it, eyes widening. “This is incredible, Bunny.” The boy kept looking at the sketch, apparently taking in more details each time. Aster hoped not, because the underlying feelings of the drawing were quite clear to him.

Jack just said, “You made me look real. It’s like I’m sitting there at the same time I’m sitting here.”

Resisting the urge to sigh in relief, Aster said, “I can do different styles, but I like to sketch what I see, if I can. Glad ya like it.”

As he passed the sketch pad back to Aster, Jack looked shy. When Aster gave him an expectant look, Jack blurted, “Will you draw me more?”

Aster felt warmer at the request, but could tell Jack was regretting speaking, purple frost covering his face. “Of course, Snowflake. Curious though: why do you want me to draw you?”

Jack shrugged and wouldn’t meet Aster’s eyes. “I…I look good when you draw me.”

Reading between the lines, Aster asked, “But not when you look at yourself in a mirror?”

Another shrug. Aster sighed. The boy was gorgeous; he didn’t need to have any hang-ups about his appearance. Problem was, Aster couldn’t just tell Jack that. Couldn’t tell Jack how beautiful and bewitching he was to Aster. Couldn’t tell him the kinds of feelings the boy drew from him, the kinds of things Jack made Aster want to _do_ to him.

Instead… “You must have used some shitty mirrors then, mate. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.”

Jack’s eyes were wide, pupils large, as he met Aster’s gaze. He looked curious and reassured, but those eyes were doing things to Aster that made the rabbit wonder if that was the boy’s intention. But, of course, it wasn’t. Jack had no idea how Aster felt, much less a desire to make him feel it.

“I’d be happy to draw you, Snowflake. Kinda nice to get some quiet time.”

That got him a shy smile. Then Jack shifted in his chair. “I’m not sure I need dinner tonight. I want to go sleep with Cotton, if that’s okay?”

“Of course it’s okay. Hopefully the thing will be able to give you some comfort and keep some nightmares away.” Aster didn’t add that what was clearly an imitation of himself should have no trouble doing so.

And when, for the first time since he’d stayed the night at the Burrow, Jack had no nightmares, Aster wondered how nice it must be for the lucky rabbit to cuddle and comfort Jack.

  
_If only you saw what I can see  
You'll understand why I want you so desperately  
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe  
You don't know, oh oh  
You don't know you're beautiful…_

What Makes You Beautiful- One Direction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorta plotty. Mostly the presents, but also if you took notice of North’s observations about Jack. And for some reason, the ridiculous part of me pictures Jack saying, “Paint me like your French girls!”
> 
> Also want to clarify: I don’t listen to One Direction normally. I would never have heard this song if it hadn’t been attached to a Hetalia AMV for PrussiaxHungary. That said, not the worst pop song I’ve heard from boy bands, even if we only look at more modern ones.


	7. Under Your Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack’s nightmares get worse, and Aster has to work to keep distance between them. Jack is late for dinner, and Aster can’t handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun bits for you. Hopefully you don’t mind them gradually getting closer; the plotty bits are going to wreck that, so they come later.

_I'm under your spell_ _  
Nothing I can do  
You just took my soul with you  
You worked your charms so well  
Finally, I knew  
Everything I dreamed was true  
You made me believe_

Under Your Spell- Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Not even North’s present could keep the nightmares away forever. The next night, Aster woke to screaming. He leapt into his room and promptly went sliding into his nest after slipping and falling on the solid coating of ice on the floor. It matched the coat of ice on everything. It matched the little ice cocoon encasing Jack. He was clutching his rabbit close, and it was clear his unconscious terror was keeping the Warren from melting the ice.

But Aster was more powerful than passive enchantments. When he laid his paws on the cocoon to start waking Jack, however, ice climbed over his paws and up his arms. More painful than pleasant, Aster didn’t let it stop him. He channeled his magic into the cocoon, reaching for Jack. Every bit of hope, comfort, welcome, life, and every other remotely positive bit of Spring was being pushed past the ice directly under Aster’s paws.

And the Snowflake blinked open eyes rimmed with tears frozen as soon as they were shed. His eyes met Aster’s through the ice and widened. He sat up, and the ice crumpled under his will like it had been a thin window pane instead of bullet-proof glass. Aster’s paws were freed as Jack broke his cocoon, and the first thing Jack did with his freedom was drop his stuffed rabbit and cling to Aster.

“Bunny! I was so afraid.” The boy wasn’t icing Aster over for once. And, no, that wasn’t disappointment creeping over the rabbit.

There was, however, a definite satisfaction that the toy was immediately discarded in favor of Aster. “Don’t be afraid, Snowflake. I gotcha.”

“But you…” Jack didn’t finish his thought, which made Aster curious.

“What about me, Snowflake?”

Jack shook his head. Aster grabbed his head and made the boy look at him. Jack shivered as he met Aster’s eyes. “Tell me, Jack. This is why you’re with me, remember? So I can help you.”

Jack tightened his grip around Aster. “I just…you left me. I couldn’t get you to stay…”

This whole thing was because of a dream that Aster left Jack alone? He apparently meant more to the Snowflake than he realized. Aster released his grip on Jack’s head and held the boy closer, feeling warmth flood through him at the idea that Jack cared that much about him.

“Bunny, you’re so warm.” Jack practically purred the words as he rubbed his face against Aster’s neck.

Okay, this situation was getting too hot to handle. “Well, we can’t all be little ice cubes, eh, Frostbite? And you realize I’m not gonna leave ya, right?”

Jack drew his head back to meet Aster’s eyes, then shook his head. Aster growled a little, interested when Jack’s eyes widened. Aster knew what he had to do, and he knew what a horrible idea it was. He pulled the Snowflake down to the bottom of the nest and turned the boy away from him. Aster spooned Jack, loving the way the boy melted into his embrace, sighing softly.

“Not leavin’ ya, Snowflake. I care about ya. Don’t want you goin’ anywhere either.” Aster’s voice was soft, and he fought the desire to press his nose into the boy’s hair. He was barely reigning himself in as it was. Wouldn’t do to let Frostbite know how _much_ Aster cared about him.

Jack shuddered against the rabbit, pulling at Aster’s self-control. “Don’t leave me, Bunny. Please.”

“Said I wouldn’t, Frostbite. You callin’ me a liar?”

Jack shook his head vigorously. “Just don’t leave.”

Aster drew Jack against him tighter. “Snowflake, I’m right here. Yer safe. Git yer rabbit on the other side of you and go to sleep.”

The smaller spirit reached for his stuffed animal and hugged it, making small contented noises as he snuggled back into Aster. Aster was far too warm as he tried to calm himself from all the physical contact and signs of affection from Jack. As wonderful as it was to know that he meant so much to Jack, it was also getting him dangerously close to physical arousal. And he couldn’t get up and leave the boy, not after he’d just assured him he wouldn’t. So, he had to calm himself somehow.

Groping for un-arousing things, his mind set upon a naked North trying to do a seductive dance, and it was instantly effective as he tried to stifle laughter. No, now he was not in the mood for anything sexual and could just enjoy the cool closeness of his little Snowflake.

‘His.’ Cripes, Aster was only getting himself deeper and deeper. He’d even point-blank told Frostbite that he cared about him. Aster didn’t say things like that, not ever. But Jack had Aster under his spell, and he had no idea how special he was, how no one else could draw things like this from Aster.

It was a long night of not much sleep. When the sun rose, Aster itched to get up and make breakfast, but he’d promised Jack he wouldn’t leave him. That meant he couldn’t get up until Jack did.

Jack didn’t wake till almost noon. Aster figured he was making up for all the sleep lost to nightmares. When he stirred, it was with an adorable yawn and sleepy moan as he tried to snuggle back into Aster.

“Wake up, Snowflake. You’ve gotten enough sleep.”

The boy’s eyes opened wide and glanced at him. Aster felt the lithe form stiffen against him. “I…I’m sorry!”

Aster sighed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t be sorry, Frostbite. I stayed with ya, just like I promised. And you obviously slept well for once.”

Jack relaxed slightly, but purple frost covered his cheeks. “Thank you. I haven’t slept this well in ages. Maybe not ever.”

Crap. The question became if Aster could find a way to not do this every night, because he knew behaving himself every night for who knew how long was a dubious proposition. Even now he wanted to rub himself against the sweet little spirit, let his cock slide free of its sheath and feel it pressed against cool skin. And wasn’t that an un-helpful thought.

“I’m gonna make us brunch, I guess. Almost noon.” Aster quickly moved away from Jack, not missing the whimpering groan as the boy rolled to reach for where he had been. “Get yourself awake, Jackie-boy. Half-day of work is still work.”

As he walked to the kitchen, Aster calmed himself again. He did not look forward to the conversation he knew was coming.

(-)

The conversation didn’t come until after dinner, while they spent time in the den. Rather than draw Jack in the same pose, Aster had started to make up poses, which added to the challenge. And he made sure to put every bit of beauty he saw in Snowflake onto the page.

Aster was carefully getting the details on Jack’s face right when Jack said, “Will you sleep with me tonight?”

Sighing, Aster put his pencil and sketchpad to the side, trying to think of the best way to say “no”. Eventually he said, “I’m a crutch, Snowflake. You need to take care of the nightmares so you can sleep alone without worrying about them. And we can’t deal with them if we don’t know what they are. Maybe on very bad nights I can sleep with you, but that’s also what Sandy’s gift is for. You should try it if you’re so interested in having dreams.”

Jack just nodded, not meeting Aster’s eyes, and set his book aside. “I’ll go to bed then.” His voice was flat, carefully emotionless.

Aster’s heart lurched, knowing he’d just hurt the boy. Jack made to stand up, but Aster stopped him, crossing to him in one leap and pinning him in the chair. Jack’s eyes got wide and his pupils grew large as he looked up at Aster.

“Snowflake, I am not trying to leave you. I meant what I said. I care about you. It’s because I care about you that I say this. You need to rid yourself of these nightmares. They shouldn’t be a normal part of your life.”

Jack still looked startled, and Aster heard his heart beating wildly. Aster stepped back and heard it slow a little. “So…it isn’t that you don’t want to…?”

Aster swallowed. “For an ice cube, you’re surprisingly cozy.” It was the safest thing he could think to say. And when Jack beamed at his reply, Aster sank ever deeper in the trap he’d fallen into.

Because Aster knew that the longer Jack stayed, the more certain he could be that Jack would find out how Aster felt about him. So Aster should have been frantically doing every conceivable thing to fix Jack’s nightmares quickly and get him out of the Burrow. Instead, he was taking it slow. The last thing he wanted was for Jack to leave, no matter the risk. Hell, he’d give a lot just to wake up with the Snowflake in his arms every morning, even if that’s all it ever was.

It was then that Aster realized he’d already resigned himself to Jack finding out at some point. He was just keeping it to himself as long as he could, so he could keep Jack to himself as long as he could. Sure, Jack would leave him, and it would crush him. But he couldn’t bring himself to put distance between them.

If anyone told him a year ago that he’d have Jack Frost living with him while he hopelessly pined over the boy, Aster would have knocked them senseless while he laughed till he couldn’t breathe. It definitely wasn’t funny now.

“I guess I’ll go to bed then, huh?” Jack said. He glanced at the sketch pad Aster had set aside. “Can I see…?”

Aster reached for the pad and offered it to Jack. He watched as Jack’s eyes lit up, taking in the drawings hungrily. “Amazing,” he said quietly. Eventually, he passed it back to Aster. “I never look better than when you draw me.”

That made Aster smirk. “Guess I better keep at it then, since you don’t understand how to use a mirror properly. Help the disabled and all.”

He did not expect a snowball to the face. It wasn’t enchanted, but he grinned anyway as he saw Jack smirking back at him. It was the closest thing to normal Aster had seen on the boy in a long time. Aster tossed the sketch pad on the sofa and grabbed the boy. The playful wrestling match that ensued was fun, but far too exciting. Especially when Aster had the boy pinned beneath him.

They were both breathing hard and staring into each other’s eyes. This had become so, so dangerous. Especially as the moment stretched on and neither of them spoke or made any attempt to move. Until Aster’s nose picked up a scent of arousal that wasn’t his. It seemed like it was too much excitement for the eternal teenager.

The smell was thrilling, but Aster didn’t let himself get carried away. Snowflake was a teenager, albeit a three-hundred-year old one. The boy was so unused to contact that he shivered at hugs. It made sense that some man-handling might turn him on. Although Aster did take it as a sign that his physique wasn’t completely repellent to Jack.

Jack was getting restless beneath him, likely wanting to get away before any physical evidence presented itself. Aster let him up, and Jack scrambled to his feet to grab his staff from the wall. “I should go to bed.”

“Sleep well, Snowflake.”

“You too, Bunny.”

Aster was left with that aroma lingering in his nose as he tried to go to sleep. He had some uncomfortably pleasant dreams that night, and when he woke in the morning he counted himself lucky they hadn’t been the messy kind…yet.

(-)

“I was going to leave and take care of some business today,” Jack said at breakfast. “Is that okay?”

Aster ignored the tug in his chest. “Of course, Snowflake. I’m just glad you’ve been helping me as much as you have. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your own duties.”

“Thanks. I should be back before dinner.” Jack got up and took his empty plate, fork, and glass to the sink. He almost turned to the door but seemed to second guess himself. He glanced at Aster, then he threw his arms around the rabbit, hugging him tight.

Aster hadn’t been expecting it, and it took him a moment to return the hug. Jack pulled away with a shy smile. “Thanks, Bunny. I’ll see you tonight.” And Aster watched the boy walk out the door.

He had no idea how boring and tedious work was now when he wasn’t sharing it with Jack. How quiet the Warren seemed. And he had no idea how much worry would grip him when he was eating dinner alone, an empty place setting across from him.

Where was Frostbite? As an hour passed, then another, Aster was pacing around his kitchen, fighting down panic. All kinds of horrible scenarios kept playing through his head, all the bad things that might keep the Snowflake late.

Aster heard Jack enter the Warren and head toward the Burrow and breathing became easier. Jack walked in the door with a smile on his face that faltered as he met Aster’s gaze.

“Where have you been?!”

Jack closed the door behind him and pressed against it. “Canada.”

“What took you so long?!”

“One of the biggest snowball fights I’ve ever started.”

Aster growled, and he noticed Jack shake a little. The boy was clearly at a loss. “Bunny, I’m sorry I missed dinner. I’m sure it’s still delicious…” Jack trailed off under Aster’s glare.

“You think this is about dinner? Do you have any idea how worried I was? The kind of things I was thinking might have happened?”

Jack’s eyes widened in understanding, and there was a sad glint to them as he moved towards Aster. “I’m sorry, Bunny. I didn’t think it was that late. No one’s ever cared where I was or what I was doing before. It didn’t seem like a problem. I wasn’t trying to make you worry.”

Aster lost his thunder at the sincere apology and realization that, no, Jack wasn’t used to people giving a shit about him. “You just…you scared me, Snowflake.”

Jack rushed up to Aster to hug him, and Aster held the boy tight. He took a while to let Jack go, but the Snowflake didn’t complain. When they parted it occurred to Aster to ask something. “Why don’t I make you shiver when you stop hugging me? I saw how you responded to hugging the other three, even Jamie.”

A small brush of purple frost tinted Jack’s cheeks. “I’m used to you. I don’t feel uncertain or nervous. I’m not scared to have you touch me; I like it.”

Oh, how Aster wished Frostbite would have phrased that differently. “I’m glad, Frostbite. Well, I only made sandwiches for dinner, so they haven’t gone bad or anything.”

Jack’s eyes lit up. “Oooh! Did you put those special pickles on them?”

Aster rolled his eyes. “They aren’t special; they’re just my pickles.”

“But they have them?”

Unable to contain a smile at the boy’s eagerness, Aster nodded. Jack went to help himself, and Aster felt the weight inside him lift now that he had Jack safely home.

Home. Did Jack consider this home? Would he still feel that way when he found out about Aster? Aster had been assuming the boy would leave, but just one day without him had proved that Aster couldn’t do without the little Snowflake anymore. But he also couldn’t keep Jack against his will if Jack was disgusted with him or uncomfortable around him.

But Snowflake didn’t have anywhere else to call home. Even if that’s the only reason he stayed after he found out the truth, Aster would be satisfied. Pathetic? Yes. But Aster blamed it all on Jack. Boy came into his home and heart and made a mess until Aster needed the boy there to be complete.

_What would you do if all I needed_

_was you?_

_What would you say or would you then_

_walk away?_

Walk Away- Haroula Rose (iZombie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like? Feel free to let me know. Poor Aster needs Jack now. What happens if Jack gets rid of his nightmares? Aster has plenty to worry about, and only more to come.
> 
> Next chapter, however, is a lot of fun.


	8. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack drags Aster into his trouble and tries to make it up to Aster. Later, he has his first dream, which he greatly enjoys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Bunny’s ears. And I always love the “sensitive unusual body part” trope. Zim’s lekku like to be touched. XD

_Stop right there, that's exactly where I lost it_ _  
See that line, well I never should have crossed it  
Stop right there, well I never should have said  
That it's the very moment that I wish that I could take back_

Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been- Relient K

“Remind me what you did to that Summer Spirit?” Aster asked, growling.

Jack looked away. “You really don’t want to know.”

At breakfast, Jack had asked Aster if he wanted to go out with him for a while. He argued they could work through the afternoon, and that Aster needed to take a break. Aster agreed, and they had run into the Spirit of Summer Vacation who was disgruntled enough with Jack to attack him despite the boy’s increased power, new status as a Guardian, and having the Easter Bunny on his side. Aster decided he probably _didn’t_ want to know what Jack had done.

“Well, one of her bloody fireballs grazed my ear. Do you have any idea how sensitive my ears are?”

The boy opened the door of the Burrow for Aster and followed him in, quickly closing the door and wetting a rag. “Very. You can hear me anywhere, everything I do or say. I remember. How long will it take to heal?”

Aster sighed. “Dunno. Would’ve been healed by now before…that Easter. Still bouncing back.” Aster had poured enough into his home that it affected his power as much as believers did. It was normally stable, but since it had been ruined and only partially restored, he wasn’t working at 100%.

Jack winced and motioned for Aster to sit. When the boy could reach his injury, he started dabbing at it with the cloth, his power making the wet cloth cold, but now it was frosting over, which hurt.

“Frostbite, yer freezing the water. Don’t think that’s going to work.”

A frustrated sound behind him, the rag set on the table, and then… “Whoa!” Cold hands pressed against the wound, sending a chill through Aster that felt wonderful, especially as it numbed his pain. “That…feels good, Snowflake.”

“Yeah?” Jack asked. As he held one hand over the burn, his other started gently exploring around Aster’s ears. And the careful attention and curious cool fingers were making Aster slump slightly, relaxation inevitable. “You okay, Bunny?”

Aster couldn’t quite summon up a good excuse. Or any dignity. “Feels soooo good. Your hands feel good on my ears, mate.”

“Not too cold?” Jack asked, getting bolder in touching and stroking.

“Nah.” It felt so good that Aster was in danger of sliding off his chair.

Jack noticed. “Let’s get you laid out on the couch. Then I can keep going without worrying I’ll need to pick you up off the floor.”

When Aster was settled, Jack resumed his attentions. Aster couldn’t keep his eyes open almost, he was just so relaxed. He didn’t object when Jack’s hands wandered a little, though his eyes shot open when Jack started scratching under his chin. His leg started thumping on its own, and he shuddered a little.

“Is this okay?” Jack asked quietly.

“You tell anyone about this, and I will murder you in your sleep.”

Jack laughed softly. “Never. This is definitely something I want to keep to myself.”

So, Aster let him continue, feeling like putty in the boy’s hands. It was a little embarrassing, but Jack was being so gentle and obviously enjoying what he was doing to Aster. That was enough to give Frostbite free reign.

The cold hands went back to his ears, one covering the burn, and Aster’s eyes slid shut again. Aster didn’t think he’d ever had anyone touch his ears like this. Snowflake was probably the only one he would _let_ touch his ears like this.

Aster didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he woke when his stomach started complaining. There was noise in his kitchen, and he went to investigate.

Jack was moving around, having already set places at the table. He glanced at Aster as he entered. “Hey. I wanted to make soup or something, but I don’t actually know how to cook and figured burning down your Burrow while you were napping would be bad. I…just wanted to thank you for helping me. Especially since you got hurt.” The boy had a plate of sandwiches he set down on the table.

Aster had actually forgotten he had been injured. “Why is my burn numb?”

A light dusting of purple frost crawled on Jack’s face as he said, “It’s a little spell, nothing serious. Just enough to numb the burn while it heals. It won’t last too long; I’ll have to renew it. But you don’t seem to mind me touching your ears.”

Embarrassed, Aster sat at his place, and Jack sat across from him. “No, I don’t mind.”

“I won’t tell anyone about any of this, you know. I remembered how you reacted when Jamie scratched your chin and wanted to try it for myself. But this is obviously between you and me. Touching your ears is our secret from now on.”

Oh, that sounded dangerously close to an offer to make this a regular thing. And Aster wasn’t sure he had the willpower to refuse. So, he simply said, “Agreed.”

Aster reached for a sandwich, and they ate together in silence. The sandwiches were pickle-heavy, in Aster’s opinion, but the boy for some reason delighted in Aster’s homemade pickles. “So, I don’t want to know what you did to the Spirit of Summer Vacation?”

Jack’s cheeks turned purple. “It was…a bad idea. I had been getting bored with my normal haunts in the warm months and decided to go to the beach. I didn’t see her, but she found out about it.”

Aster sighed. “About what?”

“I made it snow. In summer. On the beach. The kids thought it was fantastic fun. It was actually pretty tiring dropping the temperature and keeping the snow falling, so I didn’t stay long.”

The rabbit gaped at the boy. “Tiring? Do you _think_? How hot was it when you got there?”

“Almost ninety degrees, probably. Anyway, it wasn’t something an actual Winter Spirit could manage, and the snowball fight was kinda my signature. Although, not-fun fact: snowballs made on a beach are terrible. They get sand in them and get in kids’ eyes when they get hit in the face. It was a _very_ bad idea.”

Jack had a pensive, troubled look on his face. Aster realized something. “You remembering the Blizzard?”

Jack nodded. “Another terrible idea that got me in trouble.”

Aster rolled his eyes. “But we’ve put it behind us, right? I’ve put it behind me by now, Jack.”

“I didn’t mean for it to get that big!” Jack blurted.

Aster raised an eyebrow. “How do you conjure a storm that big without trying?”

Sighing, Jack said, “I _was_ trying. I’d been trying to get your attention for years, but you just shrugged off everything I planned. You were the first one to see me, to touch me, and you were so cool. I wanted to play with you. But you were always a busy Bunny, and I never knew where you lived, so I could only see you on Easter.”

“Shrug off? If you hadn’t caught me when I was busy, I would have given you a piece of my mind. And my boomerangs. You were a bloody nuisance and-Wait, you wanted to play?” Aster never realized. Jack was perpetually playful and mischievous, so Aster had never put any special significance to the boy plaguing him besides Jack’s usual tricks.

“Yeah. But everything I did, you just hopped on by. So, I tried something bigger. It got out of control in my enthusiasm. And the first playdate I managed to land with you ended with you beating me up and cussing me out and telling me you never wanted to see me again. I gave up on trying to play with anyone and started keeping away from other Spirits.”

Aster groaned. “I don’t even remember saying that. I was just angry. There were quite a few special spots in that park that I liked to hide eggs in, and they were all filled with snow.”

Jack smiled shyly. “But it’s behind us now?”

“Only if _you_ drop it, Snowflake. It happened ages ago, and neither of us is the same person we were then. We’ve gotten pretty close now, haven’t we?” Jack nodded, his smile becoming a grin. “Then we’re fine.”

The Snowflake picked up the empty plate from the sandwiches and added his and Aster’s plates to the pile. “I can clean up if you want to head into the den.”

It was doing something to Aster to see Jack getting so domestic in his Burrow, making himself at home in Aster’s kitchen. It tugged something inside him, instincts that said this was what a Mate would do. It was bad news.

But instead of discouraging the boy, like any sane person would, Aster said, “Shall I teach you how to cook, Frostbite?”

Jack turned from the sink, eyes wide, mouth spread in an excited grin. “Yes! You’d do that?”

Such a slow descent into madness. “Absolutely.” Actually, he was obviously mad already. Mating instincts were powerful and letting Jack toy at them was dangerous.

Of course, Aster had been doing his best not to connect “Jack” and “Mating” in his head. He’d also been avoiding “Jack” and “Love” intersecting, but that didn’t look long for the world either.

“Awesome! I’ll be in the den in a minute; I wanna start Matilda tonight.”

Aster left the kitchen before Jack doing dishes made him lose it. He felt so pathetic. He sat down in the den with his sketchbook, already having an idea for a new pose tonight.

Jack came in and grabbed his book from the shelf and settled down in the chair. They said nothing. Aster worked on his sketch and became more and more nervous about sharing it with Jack.

He had drawn Jack lying on one side, looking at Aster. He was propping his head up on his hand and elbow, fingers disappearing to slide into unseen hair. His smile was warm, eyes mischievous, and lithe body relaxed. His free arm lay on top of him, outlining the subtle curves of his body. His top leg was moved forward, knee bent to bring his leg just high enough to obscure the boy’s groin. It wasn’t inherently sexual, Jack was fully dressed, but to Aster’s eyes it was incredibly seductive. He wondered if it was too late to start a different sketch so he didn’t have to show Jack this one.

“I’m getting tired,” Jack said with a yawn. “Can I see?”

Hesitantly, Aster passed the boy his sketch pad. He watched the boy’s eager eyes take in the lines. And he watched purple frost start to show on Jack’s cheeks. Apparently, Jack picked up on some of those over/undertones as well.

“I look…I’m not sure how I look.” Jack met Aster’s gaze with questioning eyes.

“Beautiful, Snowflake. You always look beautiful.” Aster figured that was better than the full truth.

Jack smiled, still blushing. “Yeah, I guess I do. Whenever you draw me.”

“Get yer silly butt to bed. One day I’ll teach you how to use a mirror.”

“Goodnight, Bunny.”

“Sleep well, Snowflake.”

(-)

Aster woke to simple whimpers from the boy. He still moved quickly to his room, though. Only the nest itself had any frost, and Aster wondered if he should wake the boy from what looked like merely a troubling dream.

Jack sat up, started crying, and hugged his knees. Aster hopped in then, wrapping his arms around the boy. “Bad dream, Frostbite? Didn’t look like your worst.”

“I was alone. No one to even walk through me or even spirits to hate me. Just me.”

“Well, you aren’t alone. I’m right here.”

Jack blinked wet eyes at the rabbit. “It wasn’t horrible, but I’m still not sure I can get to sleep on my own…”

Nope, Aster had to shut that down. He’d had too many slip-ups with the Snowflake today for that to be a good idea. “Good time to try a pinch of Dreamsand, then, eh?”

Jack looked surprised. “I’d actually forgotten.” He dug in his pocket for the little bottle. “Can you do it? I’m afraid I’ll do too much or spill it as I fall asleep.”

“Of course, Snowflake.” Aster took the bottle and got the slightest pinch as the boy lay back down. “Sweet dreams,” he said as he dusted the sand over Jack’s face.

Jack instantly relaxed, expression serene. This was apparently going to be his first dream; Aster would have to see if the boy would tell him what it had been in the morning. Aster capped the bottle, gently tucked it into Jack’s pocket, and returned to the den.

He had almost fallen asleep when he heard the first sounds. A soft, startled moan. Then more moans. Then a gasp. Then a smell hit Aster in the face like a brick.

Jack’s first dream was apparently a wet one. Shit. Those sounds and that heady aroma were clawing at Aster’s control. He quickly moved into the bathroom to get a cold shower. The temperature kept his physical arousal at bay, and the noises and smells of the boy were dulled slightly.

But not entirely. Aster stood under the cold water, still turned on as he listened to Jack panting, groaning, hips thrusting. When Jack cried out and that smell hit Aster’s nose, even under the water, it was like the most wonderful Hell.

What to do now? Aster listened as Jack stirred, gasped, and groaned. Maybe since Aster was in the shower, he could pretend that had kept him from hearing or smelling anything. He waited to see what Jack would do. When the boy was still and quiet, he realized that Jack was waiting to see what _he_ would do.

So, Aster turned off the water, dried himself and shook himself off, and yawned loudly as he returned to the den. He settled in to look very comfortable and faked sleep as well as he could. The second the bathroom door had opened that intoxicating smell hit him hard. It would have been easier if Aster had just gotten himself off, but, again, he knew that would be a slippery slope.

Luckily, Jack decided to casually but quietly go into the bathroom. The door closing and the water starting were great comforts. But tomorrow would be a little strange.

(-)

Aster had his back to the boy at his kitchen table the next morning when he asked, “Good dreams?”

Jack stilled, and Aster was sure he was blushing. “Y-Yeah. Dreamsand is amazing. I…I’d better not use it often, of course.”

“Of course.” So, Jack was worried that might be a chronic effect of Dreamsand on him. And who knew? It might.

But a faint smell tickled Aster’s nose. Geez, the kid was getting turned on by the memory of the dream. Aster never realized just how much of a teenager Frostbite was. Best to help the boy. “I was thinking about North last night.”

Yep, that helped. “Oh. What about him?”

“We had discussed having regular gatherings now that we have another Guardian. A couple centuries ago they happened two or three times a year. Until recently, we stopped them altogether. Now that the family is bigger, we thought maybe we’d start up again and have more.”

Aster finally turned around to put plates of pancakes in front of each of their places. The table was set with everything they needed, and they both dug in hungrily. Jack was giving him a look that was almost as hungry as he had eyed his pancakes. It made Aster nervous.

“Family gatherings?” the boy finally asked. Ah, that was his hunger. Family.

“We’re more of a family now than we ever were. The Pitch Crisis really brought us together. Around you, especially.”

Jack blushed. “Oh. I’m glad to hear it. Did you not get along before?”

Aster shrugged, picking up all the empty dishes. “North and me, mostly. Big competing holidays. Competing egos. But we’re better now.”

“So…I’ve been good for the family?” Jack asked, sounding hopeful.

The kid was so sweet, Aster was shocked that Toothiana loved him like she did. “The best. Like I said, you made us a family again, bigger and better.”

Aster didn’t let himself bask in that brilliant smile for too long. “Lost a whole day of work yesterday, Frostbite. Let’s get to it.”

_Someone has to be the one to show us_

_How lend a hand when we're afraid_

_After all, we're in this life together_

_We all get one try, and fade away_

_Pieces of the history we've written_

_Making what is human, we as one_

_If we share the burden, it gets lighter_

_Lifting all the clouds to show the sun_

Floating- Aviators

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this amused you. And, yes, that was an offer to continue ear-rubbing on a regular basis. XD


	9. Teenagers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack makes a startling request that promises to shift things between them, even if the boy is unaware. Further shifts and problems as Jack shows signs of being a teenager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUTTY CONTENT!!! Finally, right? Also, there’s this one thing with Bunny…that’s kinda funny. Hope you find it more amusing than off-putting. XD

_I don't want anybody else_ _  
When I think about you, I touch myself  
Ooh, I don't want anybody else  
Oh no, oh no, oh no_

I Touch Myself- Divinyls

That was odd. Jack had just finished his after-work before-dinner shower, and when Aster went to take his, the bathroom was steamy. Steam would mean water hotter than Frostbite was comfortable with.

Jack had been acting odd the past few days since his first dream. He seemed tighter, less comfortable in his own skin. He talked less, seeming thoughtful and troubled. The boy always declined the offer to talk about it, though.

When Aster was done with his cold shower, he walked into his kitchen to find Jack at a pot on the stove. He had given the kid some basic lessons, and Jack had picked them up and run with them. Frostbite was tugging at Aster’s instincts incessantly, but the rabbit had been holding up. Watching the boy serve soup was unnervingly attractive, though.

“I want to masturbate,” Jack said when they were almost done eating.

Aster immediately choked on his soup, spluttering as he met the Snowflake’s eyes. The boy seemed alarmed at Aster choking but was otherwise serious. When Aster could speak, he said, “Y’don’t say? Why are you telling me?”

Jack’s face went bright purple. “I’ve been wanting to for a while, but you can hear everything I do, so it’s embarrassing. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not alone all the time, or if it’s hanging out in Spring all the time, but my body is acting like a teenager’s body is supposed to. Never has before. And…it’s kinda weird knowing you can hear me.”

Alarms were screaming in Aster’s head. He was deep in the Danger Zone. “Well, I can’t exactly apply ear plugs. And I could leave the Warren, but that’s also a little strange.” Aster’s brain was screeching at him, but he ignored it. “You just do what you have to do. I understand. We all have needs, especially eternal teenagers.”

Purple frost was flaking off of Jack’s cheeks and falling to the table. “Just…do it? While you’re here in the Burrow?”

Aster shrugged, affected nonchalance hopefully reassuring the kid. “I could go outside, but I’d still hear you. You don’t need to be embarrassed, not in front of me.”

He could smell that just the conversation was turning Jack on and found the smell intoxicating. If Jack was going to start masturbating, Aster would not be able to keep himself from following suit.

Jack must have noticed him sniffing, because he hid his face in his hands. “Can you smell it?”

“Yeah,” Aster said. “It’s fine, Snowflake. Don’t be ashamed of it. It’s natural.”

“It’s embarrassing,” Jack said from behind his hands.

Aster had to work hard to keep himself from showing how this conversation, how Jack’s arousal affected him. The idea of showing Jack he had nothing to be ashamed of by touching the boy himself and whispering the whole time how beautiful he was and how Aster loved the way he moved and sounded was considerably unhelpful.

“But if it’s something you need, Snowflake, I don’t want to keep you from it. And I can tell you need it. We can talk about it or not talk about it, but you do whatever you need to.”

Jack peeked out from behind his hands. “Can I be excused?”

Aster hoped Jack didn’t notice the shiver that thrilled through the rabbit. “Run along, Snowflake.”

Turning carefully in his seat so when he stood his back was to Aster, Jack stiffly walked towards the bathroom. As soon as the boy’s back was turned Aster’s cock started sliding from its sheath, unable to be held back any longer.

Oh, Jesus, he was about to listen to Frostbite touch himself, probably for the first time. He was painfully hard at the thought. This was a dangerous door that had been opened, and it would never close again. Disaster was likely to come running out of it.

He heard Jack undress and turn the shower on. He had mentioned how he knew guys really enjoyed showers, and he apparently had known exactly how and why they did. As it was Aster would need to find a way to cum without a huge mess, since the volume he produced was impressive. And his balls had been aching for the boy for a couple of months.

Jack’s first gasp had Aster’s paw on his erection, stroking lightly. He listened to the boy moan as slick sounds began. Now that he had permission, the boy wasn’t trying to be quiet. “Oh, fuck.”

Aster nearly came from just his easy strokes. He’d never heard Jack swear. Hearing him curse as he stroked himself off in Aster’s shower was unfairly hot. Aster hastened his own strokes, sensing neither of them was going to last very long.

“Feels good…OH! Please, please…” Jack was speaking like there was someone in there with him, or like he knew someone could hear him, which he did. But surely the boy was just overwhelmed and speaking aloud. He wasn’t providing fuel for Aster’s imagination on purpose.

Aster was stroking harder, hearing Frostbite’s breathing and heart rate increase, the slick sliding sounds getting fast and uneven. Oh, his Snowflake was about to have his first orgasm. Aster was about to have his first orgasm with Jack nearby.

Jack was whimpering, and he said, “I’m sorry, Bunny.”

That triggered a sudden, overwhelming orgasm in Aster, and he was glad he’d thought to point himself at the sink. Electricity and heat filled him as his release poured out of him. When he heard Jack cry out with his own climax, it kept him going longer. Didn’t matter why, Jack had cum after saying his name. Aster would be riding this high for ages.

He stopped spilling and started coming down, realizing he would need to clean up before Jack got back out to the kitchen. But he heard something that killed his high rather quickly. Jack was crying. Not loudly, but he was crying. Aster wanted to immediately go to him but knew that wasn’t an option.

So, he cleaned out the sink and thoroughly sterilized it before getting the dishes from dinner and washing them. It took a while for Jack to calm and the shower to stop. Aster was done washing when the bathroom door opened. To his surprise, Jack didn’t return to the kitchen, but instead went to lay in Aster’s nest.

Aster went to find him. He opened his bedroom door and looked at Jack curled into a ball. “I know I said we didn’t have to talk about this, but I think this once we should talk about it. Whatcha think, Snowflake?”

Jack shrugged and didn’t look at him. But that wasn’t a “no”. “Don’t apologize to me, Frostbite. And I’m definitely worried about crying. Can…do you want to talk about it?”

It was said very quietly, but Jack knew that wouldn’t matter to Aster. “Don’t know. Just did.”

Aster weighed his options. The one that came out on top was: “Do you want me to sleep with you tonight, Snowflake? There’s nothing wrong with you, but it seems like you could use…reassurance.”

Jack nodded emphatically, still not turning to look at Aster. Aster climbed into the nest and lay behind Jack, enjoying Jack’s immediate response of uncurling to press against the rabbit. He wrapped his arm around the boy, pulling him close.

“Thank you, Bunny. Not sure what I ever did to deserve you.”

That gave Aster a warm glow inside. “I feel the same way, Snowflake. Get some sleep now.”

“Goodnight, Bunny.”

“Sleep well, Snowflake.”

(-)

Aster woke as Jack had another wet dream, no Dreamsand needed this time. The boy had become a hormonal time bomb out of nowhere. Although, Jack himself had pointed out that he had been living in Spring in close quarters with a Spring Spirit. It’s possible that he was finally “blossoming,” so to speak.

None the less, keeping his cock sheathed took considerable concentration on un-arousing things, and was barely successful as Jack rubbed back against him and moaned. Frostbite was going to be the death of him. The only reason Aster didn’t just leave was his fear of Jack getting upset about waking up alone.

When Jack rolled over and latched onto Aster, rubbing frantically against him, Aster decided Jack probably would rather wake up alone than wake up to this. Just as he thought it, Jack’s eyes opened wide right before he stiffened and whimpered, “Bunny.”

And, no, Aster could not stand that. Jack had barely stopped spilling when the rabbit leapt up and went for the door. “I’ll give you some privacy, Frostbite.”

Aster leaned on the closed door, cock fully unsheathed. He’d barely made it out the door in time. As it was, Jack would need to use the shower, meaning Aster would need to go somewhere private in the Warren to get off.

“I’m sorry, Bunny. I’m so sorry.” Jack sounded miserable.

Groaning, Aster said, loud enough to be heard through the door, “Don’t be sorry, Snowflake. It’s perfectly natural. I’m just going to give you some space.”

Aster left the Burrow in a hurry and went to the most withered part of the Warren. Might as well make the best of this situation. It was extra embarrassing, but this was his domain, damn it. Stroking off while remembering Jack cumming against him gasping his name as he looked into his eyes made it all too easy.

He held his cock steady as he came, sowing seed over as much ground as he could. As a Spirit of Spring in his own domain, his personal fertility affected the land. Even now, the grass was growing back, vibrant and green, as flowers sprouted and bloomed before his eyes.

Aster considered the rest of the grove, the scene of dead land and trees broken by a spot of verdant life. Cripes, if the Snowflake was going to make masturbating a regular thing, Aster might as well just come here when he did and take care of his own business.

Straining his ears, Aster determined Jack was no longer in the shower. As he walked back to the Burrow, he heard the boy cooking in his kitchen. Next challenge of the day: put the awkwardness of all this behind them.

Jack froze as Aster came in the door. “Hey, Frostbite.”

“Hi, Bunny.” The reply was quiet and unsure.

“Makin bacon?”

“And scrambled eggs.”

This was going swimmingly. “Look, Snowflake, let’s not do this. Are you upset about what happened?”

Jack turned around and gaped at him. “ _Me_? What about _you_? I was…all over you…”

Aster fought down a grin. “Yeah, not what I expected to wake up to, but it wasn’t a real problem. Get some space and we’re fine. Doesn’t need to be a big deal.”

Turning back to the stove, Jack asked, “You don’t think…I’m a disgusting pervert?”

There was no stopping the chuckle that provoked. “Snowflake, you couldn’t disgust me if you tried. And mostly I think you’re trapped in a teenage body for all eternity and are only recently learning what that means. You’re a little old for the ‘Your Body is Changing’ speech, but I can get into it if you want.”

The boy turned back to look at Aster and gave him a furious glare. The boy removed the pans from the stove and walked out the front door without a word.

Aster was stunned. It took a few moments for him to realize what just happened before he finally got up to follow. Stupid teenage angst.

By the time he got outside Jack was almost to the tunnel entrance. Aster closed it off before the boy could step in. Jack turned to glare at the rabbit and then raced to the next entrance, which Aster closed before the boy reached it. Eventually, Frostbite just curled into a ball and an igloo formed around him before Aster could get to him.

“Snowflake, c’mon. I didn’t mean anything by it. Was it the speech joke? Because I’m sure after three hundred years you know about that. Talk to me.”

There was a long silence. Then: “You laughed at me. All this shit happening, and you laughed at me.”

Aster groaned. “I was laughing at the idea that I would think you were a disgusting pervert. It’s like I said, you couldn’t disgust me if you tried. I’m sorry I laughed. It wasn’t _at_ you.”

Jack didn’t say anything for a long time. Then: “Now I’m embarrassed that I got upset. Go away.”

Carefully not chuckling, Aster said, “C’mon, Frostbite. Let’s get breakfast going again before it’s ruined. I’ll go work on that; you come back when you’re ready.”

And Aster went back to the Burrow to finish cooking breakfast. He heard Jack approach the Burrow and stand outside the door as Aster set the table. Aster said, “Breakfast is ready, Snowflake.”

Jack came in quietly and sat in his seat. Aster brought the eggs and bacon to the table, and before sitting down himself, he gave Jack a quick kiss on the forehead out of sheer impulse. And was immediately panicking and embarrassed.

Purple frost painted Jack’s cheeks as he tried to meet Aster’s eyes. The rabbit sat down, determinedly avoiding the boy’s gaze. Finally, Jack said, “Thanks, Bunny. You always know what to say.”

That calmed Aster a bit. The boy’s good humor was returning. Maybe they could survive this after all. Just needed to have some patience with the boy. Not his fault he was suddenly acting his physical age. In fact, it might be Aster’s fault. Him and the Warren.

_They said all  
Teenagers scare  
The living shit out of me  
They could care less  
As long as someone'll bleed  
So darken your clothes  
Or strike a violent pose  
Maybe they'll leave you alone  
But not me_

Teenagers- My Chemical Romance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun? I hope so. And Aster’s “gardening” was hopefully not off-putting. The idea struck me and wouldn’t go away.


	10. Drifting Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack catches Aster out, to the rabbit’s horror. But things are smoothed over until a trip to Burgess upsets life again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought you might have had too much fun in the last chapter, so sadness had returned. (Not really, it just showed up without an invite.)
> 
> I am super-stoked to keep this going; I am having so much fun. I hope you are too!

_Throw your world down and come into me_ _  
Stay next to me, right next to me  
All you’ve got is everything I need  
Stay next to me, right next to me, right next to me_

Next to Me- Paradise Fears

“Can we visit Jamie tomorrow?” Jack asked as they finished work one evening. “He’s been spending a lot of time at the pond. We could tell him stories for the site. I think he’s lonely.”

Aster glanced at the boy. “Sure. Any other Spirits you’ve pissed off we should be watching for?”

Jack gave him a mischievous smile and shrugged. “No guarantees. I’d forgotten about the beach until she showed up. I’ve caused a lot of trouble over three hundred years.”

That smile and attitude had been sorely missed. Jack seemed to be doing well by staying with Aster. Aster kept wondering what would happen when Jack was nightmare-free. There was a substantial madness lingering in the back of his head that he could tell Jack how he felt and ask the boy to stay. Luckily, his sensible part was driving, and it knew to not go down that road. Even if the madness kept insisting that there was a chance that was the only road to happiness.

“Good to know we might be ambushed at any time. For such a fun guy, you are good at pissing people off.”

Jack laughed. “You would know. It still feels miraculous that we’re here right now, like this.”

Aster rolled his eyes as they headed back to the Burrow. “Maybe. But I’m used to it by now. I’d think you would be too.”

“I am. But…I still worry about losing you. Losing everything.”

The rabbit sighed. “You won’t, you know. Only way you’re getting rid of me is if you choose to.”

“You make it sound like I can keep you forever, then,” Jack said quietly as they entered the Burrow.

“Only if you want to,” Aster said. This was exactly what he said he wouldn’t do. Damn kid.

Jack blushed. “Okay.”

That could be taken quite a few ways, and Aster didn’t care to hash them out just then. Jack was getting aroused. The smell had become familiar, and Aster was pretty sure he didn’t have time to make it to the grove.

“I’m…going to take a nice shower.” It was Jack’s more subtle way of warning Aster he was going to masturbate.

As soon as the door to the bathroom closed, Aster let his cock slide free, bracing himself for what was coming. Jack, while still shy to Aster’s face, had gotten much more comfortable with enjoying himself. Frostbite was louder, cursed more, and just generally pushed all of Aster’s buttons.

Today, Jack seemed to take his time. Low groans and gentle gasps to start with. “Yes…” Jack had also continued talking to some imaginary lover. It was not helpful as Aster simultaneously imagined Jack talking to him that way or talking to someone else that way.

Aster stroked along as Jack sped up a little, moaning. “That’s so good. Please, don’t stop.”

If only he could, Aster would never stop. “Going at it like rabbits” was more than a saying. Aster could pleasure and fuck the boy for hours. And he’d never tire of his Snowflake, no matter how many thousands of years passed them by.

“Yes! Oh, like that…” Jack was intensifying his attentions, Aster could hear, and every time this happened, it felt more difficult not to go to his Snowflake and follow these instructions.

When Frostbite said, “Don’t leave! Ooohhh, need you here,” Aster felt faint as every bit of blood seemed to rush to his cock.

“Never leavin,” Aster said quietly, his strokes getting harder, faster as he heard Jack do the same. “Gonna keep you satisfied. Give me a chance, Snowflake; I’ll make you scream.” It was almost like a prayer.

“That’s right. You know just what I want…” Jack whimpered. It was like Frostbite had heard him.

Aster came hard, the pleasure rushing fast and making his whole body one tense muscle. He also groaned. Loudly.

Jack came right after that far-too-audible groan, a surprised gasp leaving his lips. “Oh, fuck!”

That just gave Aster extra power for his last few spurts. Jack Frost using bad language was incredibly hot, and he really hoped the boy didn’t take to cursing in public. Of course, Jack had heard him. He knew Jack had heard him because Jack breathed his name as he started to quickly dry and get dressed.

Aster scrambled to clean up the mess in the sink, guilt dragging him down, a heavy feeling in his stomach. He had just finished sterilizing when Jack returned to the kitchen. Aster did not turn to look at him.

“Umm…” Jack said, clearly not sure how to continue.

“You want your sandwiches with extra pickles, right?” Aster asked. He couldn’t take it. No matter how often he told himself Jack would leave, it didn’t make him prepared for it.

“Bunny? Do you…? I mean, it’s natural, right?”

Aster felt hot shame flood him. No matter what he said to Snowflake, he felt wrong. Felt like he was using Jack’s vulnerability and teenage hormones for his own benefit.

He heard Jack approach him, and his body tensed. But the boy just slid his arms around the rabbit’s waist, hugging him gently. Aster relaxed since the boy was practically channeling acceptance and forgiveness right into Aster’s body.

“You know I like extra pickles, Cottontail,” Jack said simply.

When Jack let go, Aster started to make sandwiches. He only looked at Jack out of the corner of his eye. As they ate, Aster kept his eyes on his food.

“I know your burn is healed, but can I touch your ears tonight? Instead of reading and drawing?”

Aster felt short of breath. Jack knew Aster got off to Jack masturbating, and he was offering to pleasure Aster in a non-sexual way. Maybe Jack wouldn’t run when he found out the full truth. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

“Good.” Jack took the dishes to the sink, starting the water. Aster shook off thoughts of getting Frostbite a frilly apron and making him wear only that to do chores around the Burrow. “Just head into the den, Bunny. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Aster went to lay down on the couch, certain he’d never been so nervous about something so innocent. Probably because he was worried his cock would start poking out if he thought about Jack too much before he got there. Actually getting his ears touched was relaxing, and didn’t allow for sexual tension.

Too soon or not soon enough, Aster couldn’t tell, Jack came in with a shy smile. As he positioned himself at Aster’s head, the rabbit couldn’t help his ears folding guiltily. “None of that.”

Jack’s cool hands started rubbing at the base of Aster’s ears, and they relaxed immediately. So did the rest of him. “You feel good, Frostbite.” The damn relaxing took Aster’s filters down, which was dangerous.

Jack just laughed. “Glad you think so.” He kept going for a few moments before he added, “This is still kind of funny. Seeing you like this.”

Through the haze of pleasure, Aster felt faintly annoyed. “Funny, huh?”

Jack nodded. “You’re always so tough and untouchable. Touching you like this is almost unreal.”

Aster smiled at that. “Well, you’ve seen a softer side of me than anyone has ever seen. It’s why you can’t talk about this, Frostbite. Ruins my image.”

“But if no one but me actually sees it, what harm does it do?”

The rabbit hesitated, not sure he wanted to reply. Eventually, he decided he had to. “Because, Snowflake, telling everyone that you make me soft is dangerous. For both of us. People could use you to get at me. The Easter Bunny isn’t without enemies. I don’t want them to get their hands on you.”

Jack’s heart had started hammering as his hands stilled. “I make you soft?”

Aster snorted. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know. Like I’d let anyone else this close.” It was dangerously honest.

“I…really didn’t. I mean, obviously you don’t let everyone in. But I didn’t think…”

“You’re special, Snowflake. I care about ya.”

There was a moment where nothing happened, then Jack gave each of Aster’s ears a cool kiss that sent a shudder through the rabbit’s body before Jack resumed touching. “I care about you too, Bunny.”

Aster felt so satisfied he might have just melted into a puddle of happiness. As it was, the Snowflake rubbed his ears until he fell asleep. He didn’t wake until morning.

(-)

“Jamie!” Jack called. They approached the boy who was sitting at the edge of the pond with that laptop thing.

The morning air was cool, but Aster knew it would warm quickly since Spring was getting ready to take hold of the land. Aster noted that Jamie looked tired. And his nose was giving him more disturbing information.

“Jack! Bunny! I’m so glad to see you!” Jamie set his laptop aside and ran to hug them both. When he pulled away, the boy seemed winded.

“Come on, sit down. Since the pond is almost thawed, I didn’t expect to see you until next year, Jack. I’m glad I don’t have to wait that long.”

“Unless a really grumpy Spring Spirit comes along to tell me I’m not supposed to be here, I’ll come whenever I can. I’ll take on Summer if I have to.” Jack gave Aster an amused sidelong glance.

“Let’s try not to take on Summer again. Don’t need any more burns,” Aster said evenly.

“What happened?” Jamie asked eagerly. He could sense a story.

They told him as he typed up notes to work with later. “Wow. From ninety degrees to below freezing. You’re amazing, Jack.”

“And that was back before anyone could see him. How long ago was that, Jack?” Aster asked.

Jack stopped to think. “1983, I think? Like I said, I’d forgotten about it until she attacked us.”

Jamie typed for a bit, then said, “Found it! They did an article in the local paper about it. ‘Mystery Snow in the Summer.’”

Jack and Aster leaned in to take a look at the article and picture. And Aster got a more intense noseful of that troubling scent on Jamie. He didn’t want to talk about it in front of Jack, though.

“Hey, Frostbite. I wanna tell the kid a story. Private. Go start a snowball fight somewhere. Come back in a bit.”

Jack smirked. “You know putting your private story on the internet makes sending me away pointless, right?”

“Just go, ya gumby.”

With a sigh, Jack said, “Fine. But you better not be doing this just to hog Jamie.” And he took off, flying up into the sky till he was out of sight.

“So, what has you spending so much time at the hospital, Jamie?”

The boy froze as he met Aster’s eyes, clearly not expecting to be found out so soon. “I…something’s wrong with my heart.”

“Yer too young for fatty foods and such to be causing trouble.”

Jamie shook his head. “I was born with it, I guess. We didn’t start to see problems until recently. It’s…” There was a pause before words rushed out of the boy. “It’s not usually fatal, and the doctor said they could operate, and the success rate is good, and the mortality rate is low, so-”

The kid was cut off as a frigid wind blew and the temperature dropped around them. Jack came sailing down to them, headfirst, and barely pulled up out of his dive to land on his feet. “Sick?! Why didn’t you say something?” Jack shot a dirty look at Aster. “And why did you try to hide it from me?”

A storm was gathering, the sunny day dimming and disappearing as the temperature kept dropping. Oh, shit. “I didn’t know what was happening, Snowflake. I just smelled hospital on him, and I didn’t want to upset you if it was nothing. And the kid obviously had his reasons for not mentioning it. Probably didn’t want to bring a blizzard down on his town just as Springtime is getting ready to kick into gear.”

Jack glanced upward and took a deep breath. The clouds mostly cleared, but it was still very cold, and Jamie was not dressed for cold weather. Aster quickly pulled Jamie close to him and wrapped himself around the boy, warm fur and Spring magic keeping the boy from shivering.

“Yer gonna make him sicker if you don’t calm down, Frostbite!” Aster shouted.

And just like that, warmth returned, and the cold wind became a cool breeze. Aster released Jamie, who looked frightened. “That…that wasn’t Jack. Jack isn’t scary.”

Jamie had said it to Aster, but Jack heard it. He slumped, then collapsed to the ground in heap. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I got so angry…”

Frostbite curled into a ball, face pressed against his knees as he hugged them close. That was enough to convince Jamie that Jack was himself. He crawled away from Aster and over to Jack. “I’m sorry, Jack,” Jamie said as he slid his arms around the spirit’s waist. “You were so upset at the idea that I would die when I got older…I didn’t want to upset you more by telling you it might be sooner.”

“But…I was still figuring out what to do…” Jack said, sounding lost. He uncurled enough to roll on his side and hug Jamie back, pulling the boy close to him.

Huh. Snowflake hadn’t accepted Jamie’s fate. And Aster was willing to bet that wouldn’t change. The little boy was Jack’s best friend, his first friend, the first person who saw him after three centuries of invisibility.

Shame that enormous amounts of ice magic couldn’t help with heart problems. Another hard lesson of being an immortal Spirit: no matter how much power you had, sometimes you were just as powerless as a mortal.

Jack and Jamie were both crying now, hugging each other while lying on the dirt. It was heartbreaking. Snowflake was so fragile about losing things he’d just recently gained. He was upset at the thought of losing Aster in the future; how was he supposed to handle realizing that he might lose Jamie sometime soon?

Aster wondered how he was going to help Jack handle this when they got back home. Drawing and reading seemed unlikely to do much good. Well, he’d figure it out when it came to that. The only sure thing was that whatever equilibrium Jack had regained was off-balance again.

_I can see what’s coming_

_There ain’t no use in running_

_We’re setting like the sun_

_Your twilight has begun_

_I didn’t think it’d be easy_

_I didn’t know it’d be this hard_

_Don’t wanna let you go_

_But I can’t keep you from_

_Drifting away…_

Drifting Away- Claire Guerreso (iZombie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadface. I was rereading chapter 4 and realized that, no, Jamie wasn’t thinking about legacies out of nowhere.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts, if it so pleases you.
> 
> Also, hold onto your hats with the next chapter. It’s all fun and games until it’s suddenly not.


	11. Someone Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bunny tries to calm Jack down, only to find Jack has some unnerving interests. When Jack seems suddenly lighter, more mischievous and curious, Bunny wonders why. Cake-baking is dangerous, and a new problem arises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fun. Until it’s not. I was going to wait a bit longer to post, but the end of the last chapter bummed me out, and I’m the one who knows what will happen, so I didn’t really want to leave you on that note for too long.

_My wings feel broken but they work fine_

_I guess confidence never was mine_

_A harsh word can leave me stunned_

_Some say I’m unique and others strange_

_Some say I’m just living up to my name_

_But I can’t be the only one_

Someone Like Me- Aviators

Jack was unable to calm himself when they returned to the Warren. He didn’t even enter the Burrow. He paced around the place, no clear goal or destination. At first, Aster stood outside the Burrow and let the boy get rid of some energy.

It soon became clear, however, that Jack was just working himself up further. Aster finally caught up to the boy and said, “C’mon, Snowflake. Come inside or find something to do. This is just making it worse.”

Jack turned on him, a helpless fury in his gaze. “Worse? What could be worse than my best friend dying soon?”

Aster didn’t shrink from Jack’s anger. “The fact that your best friend _might_ die soon is making you sick. We can do whatever you want, Jack. Draw, read, relax, sleep, fight, eat, whatever. But it needs to be _something_.”

Jack looked at him, almost blankly, except for a faint glimmer. Then he lunged at Aster, taking the rabbit by surprise. The boy wrestled fiercely, but Aster was a warrior, and Jack was outmatched. Still, Aster let Jack get the upper hand a few times to keep things going and keep the boy spending energy and frustration. He could take whatever Jack threw at him.

Eventually, Jack’s struggling grew weaker, and Aster could smell the salt of tears the boy was struggling not to shed. He took the opportunity to pin Jack down. His Snowflake hardly fought the hold at all. He just started crying, hands that Aster freed moving to cover his face.

Aster just fixed the little spirit into a sitting position, then pulled him onto Aster’s lap. It felt like ages since Frostbite had clung to him like this, wrapped around Aster tightly like he might fly away if he didn’t.

Slowly, Jack calmed. He shuddered a little in the rabbit’s embrace. He nuzzled his face into Aster’s neck, which was far too pleasant. Especially when, with another shudder, Jack’s hips shifted slightly as the smell of arousal grew stronger in Aster’s nose. The rabbit felt Jack hardening against him and fought down panic and his own arousal.

“Sorry,” Jack whispered. “I don’t know why, but I-”

“S’okay, Snowflake. Being man-handled seems to excite you. Nothing wrong with it. Let’s go home, and you can take care of it.”

As Aster got both of them to their feet, Jack seemed interested, looking the larger spirit up and down. “And you can take care of yourself.” It wasn’t a question.

So, Aster didn’t answer, just walked back to the Burrow. Jack made a small frustrated sound and followed. “You can hear me. And I heard you. You’re the one who says there’s nothing wrong with it.”

The rabbit didn’t know exactly what the boy was getting at, just that it was major trouble. “Let it go, Snowflake.”

“You tell me that it’s natural. You encourage-”

“Frostbite, drop it,” Aster said stiffly.

“But I just-”

“Jack, stop!” Aster shouted. They both stopped walking as silence surrounded them. Aster said, “Please. Just. Don’t.”

“Fine,” Jack said, but he did nothing to hide the petulant tone in his voice.

“Thank you.” Aster started walking again. When they reached the Burrow, he decided this had necessitated a change in plans. “You go on in. I’ll give you some space.”

He could have sworn that Jack looked disappointed. But the boy was probably just upset that Aster had yelled at him. Jack just went into the Burrow and closed the door behind him.

Aster stood and listened as Jack went into the bathroom and stripped down. Before the water started, Jack murmured, “Mean fucking Bunny.” He knew the rabbit would hear him.

But the swearing combined with his name just had Aster’s cock unsheathing rapidly, nevermind that Jack sounded so annoyed with him. His brain unhelpfully supplied the thought that he could show Jack some mean fucking.

He had just turned to go to the grove when Jack said, “Fuck you, Bunny.”

Oh, it was so hard not to go in there and shut the teenager up. He got the sense that Jack was trying to piss him off; Jack had no idea that his words had a different effect on Aster. The rabbit hurried away before he went inside and did something unwise.

As he touched himself, Aster was haunted with the thought of what Jack had been getting at. It sounded dangerously interesting. Frostbite was far too keen on the fact that he heard Aster getting off at the same time he did. It didn’t bear further attention, in Aster’s opinion, but Jack disagreed.

“‘You can hear me, and I heard you,’” Aster said softly. He groaned and sped up. The Snowflake really _had_ been intent on the fact that Aster had been listening to him masturbate. Which would indicate all his vocalizations were for Aster’s benefit, which was insanity.

Aster had been taking his time until he heard footsteps headed his way. Oh, fuck. He stroked faster, leaning against a dead tree as his balls got tighter with each nearing footstep. He kept in all sounds as he spilled all over the tree, watching it spring back to life as his cock retreated.

“What have you been doing here?” Jack asked, looking around. The fresh life in the grove looked a certain way, but it wasn’t immediately obvious unless one considered that patch of grass was shaped like a cum splatter pattern.

“Working.” Aster didn’t want to keep doing this.

“I bet,” Jack said with a grin. Before Aster could get angry at that, he asked, “Will you teach me to bake?”

Aster blinked at the boy, suspicious. “You came all the way out here to ask me to teach you to bake?”

Jack shrugged. “I didn’t know when you’d be coming back. You make the best cake. I wanna learn.”

“Fine, Snowflake, let’s bake.” At least the boy seemed to be distracting himself.

(-)

By the time the cake was in the oven, the kitchen was a mess. There was flour all over the place, due to Jack starting a minor flour-fight. Used utensils and bowls were all over, and there was general disarray to the normally tidy kitchen.

“I can clean up.” Jack eyed Aster with amusement. “You should probably wash that flour out of your fur.”

“Just remember that I know where you sleep, Frostbite,” Aster said as he left the kitchen.

That had Jack laughing behind him, honest laughter. It was good to hear. Aster had caught some dark brooding looks on Jack’s face for a few moments while they worked, but Frostbite was attentive to the lesson, so it was easy to distract him.

Aster climbed into the shower and turned the cold water on. Delicious shivers ran through him as the water poured down, and when the shivers got stronger, Aster realized that he could feel the hum of Jack’s power. He opened the shower door to peek out and saw that frost was creeping from under the door and across the bathroom to his shower.

“Not funny, Frostbite,” Aster said loudly.

“Your shower is already cold, Bunny,” Jack called back from the other side of the door.

Is that what he was after? Sent his magic in as feelers to check the temperature of Aster’s shower?

“You made a bit of a mess; I thought you were cleaning it up.”

Jack sighed. “Fine. You’re no fun.” His footsteps retreated to the kitchen. The rabbit must have been distracted not to notice the boy approaching.

Aster was a bit surprised at Jack’s good humor, given his earlier mood. He wondered what was going on in the Snowflake’s head. Was he making sure he was distracted? Had he accepted Jamie’s fate as a mortal? No, not that, Aster was certain. But something had happened in that head that let Jack bounce back.

A good scrub and rinse and all the flour was gone. Aster dried and shook off and returned to the kitchen.

All the surfaces were free of flour, and Jack had all the dirty dishes next to the sink and was scrubbing away, humming to himself. He made quite the cozy picture. The consistent pull on Aster’s instincts was starting to get more intense. He wanted to keep the Snowflake here, make him belong with Aster. He wanted to Mate and Mark Jack. A Mating Bond was serious, and the desire itched at Aster. How was he supposed to kick Jack out of his kitchen to stop the problem without explaining why?

“You cleaned up the flour; let me clean the dishes. You can watch the cake.”

Jack looked over his shoulder at Aster, no longer humming. “You sure? I kinda like doing dishes.”

Shut the fuck up, Snowflake. Aster was precariously close to doing something inappropriate and potentially damaging to their relationship. “I’m sure. Keeping an eye on what you’re baking is something else to learn.”

Frostbite shrugged and let the dishes fall in the sink. He turned to Aster, and the rabbit’s heart quickened. Snowflake was wearing a damn apron. A plain white one that Aster had forgotten he owned, but an apron. “Take that off,” Aster said flatly. It was taking so much not to just lunge for the boy. He closed his eyes.

“What?” Jack asked.

“Take that fucking thing off,” Aster grated out.

He heard Jack’s heart speed up as he cursed. “I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything; I just found it when I was putting away the mixing bowl. Seemed appropriate.”

The boy was hurriedly removing the offending garment, then he asked, “What should I do with it?”

It seemed extreme to say, “Burn it,” but that was what immediately came to mind. “Just put it away somewhere.”

He heard Jack obediently fold the apron and tuck it away in a cabinet. “I’m really sorry, Bunny. I didn’t know you didn’t like aprons.”

Aster didn’t reply. Because he loved that fucking apron on Jack. That was the problem. Jack had all the makings of a Mate, _his_ **perfect** Mate, and Aster couldn’t have him. It was enough to make him want to cry. The Guardian of Hope had none, and it was painful.

Jack seemed to sense the shift in Aster’s mood. “Can I give you a hug?” The offer was innocent, made in hopes of cheering Aster up.

“Maybe later, Snowflake. Thanks.” Aster finally opened his eyes again. Jack was looking skittish, and Aster sighed. “I’m sorry I yelled.”

“Can I ask why you don’t like aprons?”

“No.” The reply was sharp enough to make Jack flinch.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Aster worked on dishes, and Jack paid attention to the oven. Then: “Am I strange, Bunny?”

Aster tried not to smile. “Very. But that’s not a bad thing. No one would call me normal.”

“But you’re awesome strange. I’m just…weird. The history of my existence, my powers, the way I act, my appearance-”

“If you don’t shut up about your appearance, I’ll bloody well find something that will _make_ you see things clearly. And I wouldn’t change a thing about you, Snowflake…except your inability to use a mirror.”

Aster could hear the smile in Jack’s voice as he said, “Glad to hear it.”

The timer went off. “Think you can get it out by yourself, Snowflake?”

“I probably won’t go up in flames.”

Chuckling, Aster finished up the dishes and started drying. “If you do, you’re more qualified to put you out than I am.”

He heard Jack put on the oven mitts on the table and remove the cake from the oven. “This smells fantastic. Can I start icing it?”

“Go for it, Frostbite. Use icing, though, not ice.”

“Ha, ha. You’re so funny, Bunny.”

Putting the last of the dishes away, Aster turned to see Jack leaning over the cake with a spreader covered in white frosting. He had no technique, just carelessly slapping it on like a bricklayer with mortar. But Aster let him work through it, pleased when some improved finesse showed itself by the time he was done. And it was so peaceful to watch the Snowflake work, concentrating and then looking pleased with the end result.

“So, are we having cake for dinner?” Jack asked, looking eager.

“Just this once. A growing boy needs real nutrition.” Aster wanted dearly to keep Jack smiling. That near-blizzard earlier and the rage on the boy’s face had been frightening, and the despair and tears didn’t suit the boy either.

Jack gave him a half-peeved, half-amused look and went to get a knife to cut the cake. As Aster got plates and forks, Jack carefully cut the cake into almost-even pieces. They sat down and ate in comfortable silence.

An idea lodged into Aster’s head and wouldn’t go away. Something to cheer and relax the boy. Jack was always happy to touch Aster’s ears until he fell asleep. Why shouldn’t Aster do something for him? Because it was a horrible fucking idea, that’s why.

“What are you thinking about, Bunny?”

“Do you want a back rub, Snowflake?” Aster hadn’t meant to say it, but it came out anyway.

Jack sat up straighter like an excited puppy. “Yes!”

No more discussion was needed there. Jack was quick to put the cake in a storage case and put it in the fridge. Then he grabbed the dishes and washed them, leaving Aster to get up and go to the den, knowing that watching the boy wouldn’t help anything.

Frostbite bounced in shortly after that, laying on the couch at Aster’s invitation. “Do I…Am I supposed to take my shirt off? That’s what I’ve seen them do.”

Already this was biting him in the ass. “Sure, if you want, Snowflake.”

Aster closed his eyes as Jack wriggled out of his hoodie and the white tank top underneath. When the teenager stilled, Aster opened them again to see Jack settling peacefully on his front, a beautiful expanse of pale, cool flesh laid out for the rabbit’s enjoyment.

When his paws first touched the cool skin, Jack gasped. Just the slightest rubbing had the smell of arousal hinting on the air. Aster quickly moved to behind the sofa, giving him extra protection if this went south.

It was easy to lean over and continue touching and massaging the boy, and Jack was not shy about how much he enjoyed it. Gasps, groans, and, worst of all, saying Aster’s name, all combined to make a deadly combo that had Aster’s cock unsheathing. This was going to end so badly.

“Bunny,” Jack whined, “I’m sorry. It just feels so good.”

The teenager was apologizing because his hips were starting to rut into the sofa, obviously aroused. “Yer okay, Snowflake. I’m not mad, not disgusted.”

“But I won’t be able to stop,” Jack said a minute later as Aster’s continued attentions had him rubbing himself against the couch faster, harder.

“Then we’ll deal with that after. You need to relax, Snowflake; blow off some steam.”

“So I can…?” Jack didn’t finish as the paws really digging into his back had him thrusting frantically.

“Go on.”

“Bunny!” Jack groaned as he came, muscles tight and hips moving out of control.

God, Aster was dripping. As Frostbite slowed, then stilled, his face turned to meet Aster’s, blue eyes hazy with pleasure, a lazy smile on his face. At a loss of what else to do, Aster ruffled the boy’s hair hard enough to push his face in the couch as the rabbit came out from behind the couch, heading for the bathroom.

He was pretty sure he’d made a clean getaway, at least clean enough that the boy didn’t see what he’d done. Aster felt certain that Jack _knew_ what he’d done, though. Which meant Aster wouldn’t be taking a cold shower. He’d be taking a hot one with lots of steam while he stroked himself off, his name on Jack’s lips as the teenager came echoing throughout his head.

Aster made short work of it, needing little stimulation in comparison to what he’d just had, also aware that Jack would be stirring from his post-orgasmic haze and wanting to use the bathroom to clean himself up.

“Oh, fuck, Jack…” was a whispered plea as Aster spilled himself all over the wall and floor of the shower.

This was a disaster. The kid wouldn’t let this go, no way. And Aster couldn’t have this discussion. He couldn’t. Still, he cleaned up and dried and shook off and went to leave the bathroom, where he could hear Jack’s heart pounding on the other side.

Meeting the Snowflake’s eyes was breathtaking. So full of curiosity and a strange trust. But Jack said nothing, just went into the bathroom himself.

That went suspiciously easily. Aster knew he hadn’t heard the end of it. He went back to lay down in the den, hoping to be asleep or nearly so before the boy got done showering.

The couch smelled like Jack’s arousal, Jack’s release, even though no fluids had made it onto the couch. Aster was going to have a hell of a time trying to sleep there. Wished he’d thought of that sooner. Just the thought of laying down was delicious, so he knew it was a bad idea.

The rabbit wondered if he just curled up on the floor behind the couch that Jack might let him go without talking about it. Worth a try. When he was settled his ears were trained on Jack, listening to the shower shut off and a towel grabbed off the bar to dry the boy with a ruffling sound.

The bathroom door opened, and the boy looked around. “Bunny?”

Aster didn’t answer. Frostbite kept looking, though, creeping back into the den to look around. “Bunny?”

With a sigh, Aster said, “What is it? I’m going to sleep.”

A short, confused sound and Jack was on the couch leaning over to look at Aster. Then he looked at the couch, then Aster again. “Is this because I…? Oh, come on, Bunny; why did you let me…?”

“You needed to relax, Snowflake. Now you need to go to bed. Go on, sweet dreams.”

Jack gave a pouty huff. “Fine.” He was in the doorway when he stopped and said, “Um, thanks for the backrub, Bunny.”

Aster couldn’t answer that, but Jack didn’t seem to require one. The rabbit heard the boy settle into the nest with a contented sigh. Now, he just had to get to sleep with that wonderful smell haunting his nose. Well, he could do it eventually. Probably.

(-)

A crackling sound accompanied by a scream woke Aster. It took him a minute to get up, because he was covered in ice, not frost, as was everything he could see. Careful steps to the doorway showed the hallway and bathroom were iced over as well, every surface shiny.

He made it to his room without falling. This time, not a simple cocoon, but a spiked dome covered the Snowflake. This was very bad. The kid was screaming continuously now, barely pausing for breath. His rabbit was in there with him, but he wasn’t holding it.

Aster shouted his name, trying to snap the kid awake from a distance. Getting in close this time would likely end in some serious injury. Shouting wasn’t working. Could Aster project Spring from that far away?

A heart-pounding idea occurred to him. Last time he’d just pushed all the positives of Spring at the boy to soothe him. Now he had another, more powerful tool at his disposal. He was loath to say it, but whether he said it or not, it was true.

Love. Aster loved Jack. And Love made for the best, most potent magic. It could bridge the gap since Aster couldn’t get close to the boy.

Getting as close as he dared, Aster pushed his paws into the ice, melting what he could and sending a trail of flowers and warmth to crawl over the dome. Frostbite’s ice was so cold with his power that Aster had to fight to keep his spell going. Love. He loved Jack, and he wouldn’t let him suffer those horrors alone.

The warmth in his chest gave the spell the push it needed to cover the dome, cracking it. Jack stopped screaming. A few more moments of powering Love and Spring at the boy and Jack woke up, sobbing violently. The spiked dome shattered into nothing. Aster kept the spell around the boy and was relieved when Jack slowly calmed to regular tears.

Aster let the spell go and scrambled down into the nest. Jack was on him as soon as he was in range. His arms and legs around Aster’s torso and his face buried in Aster’s fur as he said, “Bunny, thank you, thank you. You saved me.”

“From what, Snowflake? What the hell were you dreamin?”

Jack shuddered, and not in pleasure. “It wasn’t a normal nightmare. It was as if all of my worst fears had been magnified and put together into some terrible movie that I had to live in.”

The Snowflake paused. “All the things I fear the most…Bunny, I think this is Pitch."

_In the dark_ _  
I can feel you in my sleep  
In your arms I feel you breathe into me  
Forever hold this heart that I will give to you  
Forever I will live for you_

Awake and Alive- Skillet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Intrigued? Plot coming right at ya!


	12. Our Solemn Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandy assesses Jack and confirms that Pitch is somehow inside him. Jack starts to show definite signs of it, which triggers an over-reaction on North’s part. Aster isn’t about to leave Jack alone, though. And he’ll fix things, however he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, things are about to go south, and by south, I mean North. I want to thank ElektraVamp05 again for being such a consistent and encouraging reviewer. You help keep me going, dear.

_In my darkest hours I could not foresee_ _  
That the tide could turn so fast to this degree  
Can't believe my eyes  
How can you be so blind?  
Is the heart of stone, no empathy inside?  
Time keeps on slipping away and we haven't learned  
So in the end now what have we gained?_

Our Solemn Hour- Within Temptation

This visit to the Pole was infinitely less pleasant than their last. Everyone had grim looks as Jack was knocked out on the couch in North’s living room, and Sandy had tendrils of sand in his ears, faint anger tracing the lines of his face.

When he cut the tendrils off this time, Sandy took a few steps back, starting to sign before Jack was fully awake. [Pitch is inside of him. There was a darkness last time that I attributed to the trauma Jack’s endured, but it has spread rapidly and is quite obviously the power of the Boogeyman. I can’t tell the extent of Pitch’s influence, but the power is there.]

Jack was sitting up on the couch by now, catching the last of Sandy’s explanation. “Power? He just gave me that awful nightmare.”

Sandy shook his head, and Aster would swear that the little man looked slightly nervous and wary of Jack. [There’s a connection. Something has allowed him inside of you, and he is a blight on your soul. This can’t be the first sign of him.]

Aster and Jack’s eyes met, and they both said, “The storm.”

“What storm?” Toothiana asked.

“Jamie has…a heart problem. It’s possible that he won’t live past childhood.” There were tears in Jack’s eyes as he told them this. “When I found out that Jamie hadn’t told me, and I thought Bunny had been keeping it from me, I summoned a storm without trying. I was whipping up a big snowstorm just because I was angry. I…I _scared_ Jamie!”

“The kid said it wasn’t Jack, because Jack wasn’t scary. Damn it, why can’t that asshole just stay under the bed where he belongs?!”

“So, Pitch has new plan. He wants to use Jack against us.” North’s voice was flat.

Aster didn’t like the look on North’s face as he eyed the boy. “Hold your horses, mate. We don’t know what’s happening. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

But Aster also saw the look Sandy was giving Frostbite. It wasn’t the look one gave a friend. It was the gaze of someone assessing a potential enemy. [He’s dangerous, it’s true. I’m not sure what needs to be done, but this isn’t something we can ignore.]

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here!” Jack shouted. Everyone went still and silent as they gave him their attention. “I’m not invisible! Humans may not have seen me for three hundred years, but all of you could. You just _chose_ to ignore me. You keep telling me I’ll never be invisible again, but you _still_ pretend I’m not here! But I will _not_ be ignored, not ever again. Don’t think I’ll just let you forget about me.”

Aster was pretty sure he was the only to notice how Jack’s eyes seemed to fade to a silvery gold for a moment. Oh, Jesus. But no one else freaked out, so they must not have seen.

Toothiana, loving mother that she was, spoke up. “He’s right. Jack is our friend, our _family_ , and this isn’t how one treats family.” She looked directly at Jack and said, “We weren’t trying to exclude or ignore you, Jack. You mean more to us than that.”

Jack visibly calmed, and Aster let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. If Jack changed like that again, Aster was certain the others wouldn’t miss the eyes a second time. Even Toothiana, the peacekeeper, was giving his Frostbite a wary look.

“Jack is ours,” Aster said. “He’s a Guardian, he’s our family. He doesn’t belong to Pitch.”

[I’m afraid we can’t be sure that’s true.] Sandy glanced at Jack and addressed him directly. [You understand our concerns, right?]

His Snowflake sighed. “I do. But I don’t want to hurt any of you. I don’t want to take over the world. I think we might be blowing this out of proportion. Please, Sandy, you know I’m me, right?”

It had the makings of a heartwarming moment, but when Jack knelt to put a hand on the little man’s shoulder, black sand swarmed from Sandy under Jack’s hand, swirling and rising until a Nightmare stood between Jack and Sandy, who had flown back at the first grain of black sand. And as all this happened, Jack’s eyes shone a bright silvery gold.

The Nightmare, which was streaked all over with frost, turned on Jack, whose eyes were beautifully blue again and wide and frightened as he took a few steps back. Aster was pretty sure that he was the only one who saw it that way. The rest seemed to think it was looking to Jack for instructions.

And all hell broke loose. Aster was actually the first one to go after the Nightmare, mainly because it was after his Snowflake. A couple of his boomerangs dispatched it with ease. While he was focused on that, however, North’s yetis were closing in as Sandy slung a whip around Jack’s staff to wrench it from his grip and immediately followed it up with a ball of Dreamsand to the face. Frostbite dropped like a stone.

Aster’s blood boiled as North had the yetis collect the unconscious boy. “Take him to kitchen. Make cell near ovens to hold him.”

The rabbit raced to the yetis. “Not so fast!”

“He must be contained, Bunny,” North said firmly.

“I beg to differ.” Aster had boomerangs in each hand as he turned to keep both North and the yetis in his sight.

A flurry of color and flittering wings blocked his view. “Stop! Let’s talk about this. Let’s not make this a fight.” And the next was spoken so quietly that Aster wondered if only he was meant to hear it: “Yet.”

It was smart. If Aster could talk North down instead of fight the man in his own domain, where he was at the height of his power and held all the control, it would be better. Even if Aster’s instincts screamed violence at anyone who dared to lay a hand on his Snowflake.

“Fine. We talk. But we can’t just let Jack lie there. Yetis will lock him up for now.”

Aster opened his mouth to protest, but Toothiana put a hand on his shoulder. “Please, Bunny. Just talk about it first?”

When Aster watched Sandy send his dream whip into Jack’s pocket to remove the bottle of Dreamsand and Toothiana’s snowflake gift, more anger boiled up in him. It took a lot of effort to tamp it down as the yetis took Jack away.

(-)

Aster followed North into his private workshop, nearly trembling with suppressed rage. “Don’t do this, North. Weren’t we trying to let him know that he wasn’t alone anymore? That he was part of our family, loved? Locking him away and leaving him alone makes us liars. Traitors. You think the kid had trust issues before, you can’t imagine what they’ll become if you do this. Let him go.”

North turned and got in the rabbit’s face. “Pitch nearly destroyed us all, Bunny, and the children with us. We cannot risk that happening again. Until we are certain Pitch cannot control Jack, he needs to be restrained.”

Yes, Aster was aware that Jack posed a threat, but this was not the way to handle the sweet, insecure soul that Aster had grown so close to. “But in a cage by the ovens in your kitchen? It’s cruel, North.”

Stepping back, North shrugged. “Is practical. Jack has grown powerful enough to use magic without his staff. He must be weakened, or he can escape.”

“This is wrong, North,” Aster persisted. “And it will come back to bite you, mark my words.”

“What happened to the Guardian of Hope who would do anything, _anything_ for the children?” North asked.

“The Guardian of Hope grew a heart,” Aster said evenly. It was true. Before the Pitch Crisis, before the Easter with Jack, before everything else with Jack, he might have gone along with this plan. But he was a different rabbit now than he was then.

North’s eyes twinkled with sly calculation as he eyed Aster up and down. “And the Guardian of Fun stole that heart, da?”

He wouldn’t dignify that. “Not sure who stole yours, but I can’t see it anymore. You’re colder than I’ve ever seen Frostbite.”

That seemed to strike a nerve, because North was in his face again. “You forget yourself, Bunny,” the big man said quietly, but in no way gently.

Unflinching at the sudden proximity, Aster snorted, a bitter smile twisting his lips. “Thrice on ya, mate.” He turned without warning, going back to the door. “I’m going to see Jack. He should know we aren’t all traitors. Don’t think you can talk me out of it.”

North walked after him into the workshop, alarmed. “What if he finds way to use, to control you?”

Aster stopped and turned to give the big man a smirk. “Then I guess you’ll just have to lock me in your freezer and run Easter by yourself, without me. Because there’s no other course for suspicion than imprisonment, right?”

Not waiting for an answer, Aster marched away, heading for the kitchens.

(-)

All the yetis and elves in the kitchen gave the cage in the corner a wide berth, as they’d no doubt been instructed to do. In the very farthest corner of the cage, the one furthest from the ovens that blazed hot as cookies and cakes were made, Jack was curled into a ball, looking more forlorn and tiny than Aster had ever seen him.

Aster hopped over as fast as he could, and he could see Jack’s eyes get wide and wet. “Bunny!” Jack crawled to the front of the cage, arms reaching for Aster. Aster slipped his arms through the bars and gave the boy an awkward hug.

The thing he noticed first, and that alarmed him the most, was that Jack’s skin wasn’t cool to the touch, as it always was. He was warm like a regular human. And on the Snowflake that had to be the equivalent of a deadly fever.

“You okay, Jack? I tried to talk sense into North, but he’s an idiot.”

“I’m so hot, Bunny.” Jack was crying a little. “What did I do to deserve this; I didn’t hurt them!”

Aster ran his paw through Jack’s hair comfortingly. “You didn’t. But you scared them.”

“How?! How can Santa Claus, the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy have anything to fear from _me_?” Jack demanded.

Lips quirked in a small smile, Aster said, “Yer powerful, Jack. Even before you had believers. Now you have power even I don’t have. Proportionally, the power you gain from each of your believers has to be at least triple what we do. Remember when I said that if anyone else was wielding your power, I’d be afraid?” Jack nodded. “That’s what scares them. The idea that Pitch has hooks in you and might be able to control you scares the shit out of them. Because as you are, Jack Frost, you are a wonderfully gentle and playful ally and friend. But if someone else was behind your steering wheel? I’d sooner face Pitch by myself than have all of us fight the kind of fearsome foe you could become.”

“Bunny…” Jack gasped. “I can’t breathe!”

The boy took rapid shallow breaths, and Aster felt his forehead. Low grade fever, for a human. Jack was going to die if Aster didn’t cool him down. “Hold on, Jack, I gotcha.”

Aster looked around for something of use. Everything was about baking, which was about heat. Nothing-

Aster spotted something that might work. The sink. There were even buckets by it from the requirements of the biggest vats of cookie dough. Aster dashed for it. Yetis tried to get in his way, but he hardly noticed their attempts to grab him. Never race a rabbit, especially not when his Mate’s life was on the line. He put a bucket under the faucet and turned the cold handle all the way up. A quick test proved it was just short of freezing cold. Perfect.

When he turned around, he was surrounded by yetis. “Move, ya glorified Bigfoots. Do you want to be responsible for the death of Jack Frost? Do you think your boss wants him dead?”

After a bit of glancing and some Yettish spoken between them, they parted to let Aster through. Careful to keep every drop in the bucket, he raced back to the cage where Jack was lying still, chest hardly moving. Aster thought his own heart stopped for a minute. He flung the bucket of cold water on the boy, praying it would be enough to save the little spirit’s life.

The rising and falling of Jack’s chest increased, and he sat up with a gasp. “Thank god,” he said. He turned to look at Aster. “You saved me, Bunny. Seems like you always save me.”

Aster grinned. “And I always will, Snowflake. We just need to figure out how to save you from this.”

Jack panted a little. “You said, ‘someone else behind my steering wheel’ a minute ago. But that isn’t what this feels like. It’s like…he’s bleeding into me. Like we’re bleeding into each other. I don’t think he can control this anymore than I can.”

That was concerning. “That would indicate you’ve Bonded somehow.” And didn’t that just make Aster’s heart pound faster with jealous rage. “How did you Bond to him?”

Jack flinched, and Aster realized some of his anger had leaked into his words. “Sorry, Frostbite. But Bonding usually…it requires a certain degree of compatibility, or of…desire. You can’t Bind things that don’t go together.”

Jack’s eyes got wide as he clearly had an epiphany. “‘What goes together better than cold and dark?’” he murmured. “That’s it! We _are_ compatible, at least our elements are. That’s why I fought him better than the rest of you. Your powers were all about light and life. They were in direct opposition. Mine worked _with_ his power, letting me slip past the defenses that kept you out.”

Aster was stunned. The idea that Jack and the Nightmare King had enough in common to Bond was sickening. But, as Jack pointed out, it was all about their elements. Still… “Jack, there needs to be a strong emotional surge. And some kind of desire to Bond has to be there.”

Jack smiled grimly. “I know what happened. Is there ever a physical manifestation that symbolizes the Bond?”

Aster blinked. “Yeah. Usually it’s just a Mark, but it can be something bigger. Why, what’s in yer head, Snowflake?”

“A giant spike sculpture of frozen Nightmare Sand in the middle of the Antarctic made when I was furious with myself and with Pitch for ruining Easter, and when Pitch was trying to convince me that we should team up because he understood me, because he was _like_ me.”

The rabbit’s jaw dropped a little. “That would do it.” An inadvertent Bond between cold and dark was bound to be a twisted thing, and it was twisting Jack and Pitch together in an unnatural fashion. The Bond wasn’t stable. He told Jack as much and added, “Good news is that means it’s much easier to break. If we can shatter this sculpture you mentioned, I’m betting it will sever the Bond.”

Jack huffed. “North isn’t going to let me go on a field trip to the Antarctic, which is a place of extreme power for me. He’ll say Pitch is luring us into a trap.”

“Breaking the Bond with only you would be hard enough. Without you, it’s impossible. I’m not part of the Bond, so my desires don’t influence it. And it’s not like we can call up Pitch to break it.”

“What about my staff? It’s how I channel my power, and it was used to make the sculpture. Even if you don’t have the ice magic, maybe the staff could channel my magic out all on its own. It isn’t likely, but it’s better than nothing.” Jack was looking so hopeful it hurt.

It was the best plan Aster could think of. Even if it wasn’t likely to succeed. “What about the location? The Antarctic is a big place, and I can’t wander around there for long. Can you point it out on a map for me?”

Jack frowned. “Not with real accuracy. Wait! Baby Tooth! She could take you; she was there with me. And the little fairies have built in GPS.”

Aster ignored the human term, getting the gist of it. “So, I need to retrieve not just your staff, but that snowflake as well. That could prove difficult.”

“If you can only get one, go with the staff. You can always sneak into the Tooth Palace and pick Baby Tooth up there.”

Aster was running through plans, trying to think where they might have taken Jack’s things. Jack was breathing heavier where he sat across from Aster in the cage. “Can I have another bucket, Bunny?”

“I’m on it.” This time, the yetis didn’t try to stop him. Jack sighed as the icy water soaked him. Aster just took the boy in, how this beautiful creature was trapped here like a gasping fish out of water. “I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of, Snowflake. I have to leave you here, but I won’t let you be treated this way.”

Pulling the boy into another hug through the bars, Aster also maneuvered Jack’s head close enough to kiss his forehead. Jack looked up at him, the slightest hint of purple on his face, and said, “I don’t know what I’d ever do without you, Bunny.”

Aster’s heart hammered hard at the look the boy was giving him. The Guardian of Hope was suddenly flooded with it. There was no writing off what he saw, what he _felt_ in that gaze. Now wasn’t the time for any conversation like that, though. “I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything without you, Snowflake.”

He pressed one more kiss to the boy’s forehead before standing up. “I’ll talk to North before I leave, and I’ll get this sorted out. Promise. You just hang in there until I get back.”

“Thank you, Bunny. Good luck.” Jack’s voice was small, and Aster hated turning his back on the boy and walking away.

It was only by assuring himself that the next time he saw the boy, it would be without the damn bars between them that he managed it. That spike sculpture was going down, whatever Aster had to do to break it. If he had to hunt down the Nightmare King and force _him_ to destroy the damned thing, so be it.

_Keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through  
We'll make it through  
Just stay strong  
'Cause you know I'm here for you  
I'm here for you  
There's nothing you could say  
Nothing you could do  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth_

Keep Holding On- Avril Lavigne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, such fun! (Except for the Jack-nearly-dies-because-they’re-baking-a-frost-spirit thing.) And the feels are coming out, which is the best part of this, IMO. Things aren’t staying hidden, and we’re finally wading out of De-Nile.
> 
> Also, I don’t think Aster noticed his use of “Mate” in reference to Jack. But he knows it’s true anyway.


	13. Until the Day I Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster lays down terms with North that aren’t negotiable. Aster’s visit to the Tooth Palace yields surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first part especially fills me with glee. Easter Bunny vs Santa.

_Until the day I die  
I'll spill my heart for you_

_As years go by  
I race the clock with you  
But if you died right now  
You know that I'd die too  
I'd die too_

Until the Day I Die- Story of the Year

“Snowflake nearly died, North!” Aster knew he was shouting at the big man and causing a scene, but he couldn’t care less. “You are going to have your yetis throw a bucket of nearly-freezing water on him at _least_ four times an hour.”

North looked alarmed at the news, but then he looked puzzled. “Snowflake? Is he your Snowflake, Bunny?” Aster could hear the teasing amusement in the man’s voice.

But Aster did _not_ care what North thought. Especially when he remembered how Jack had looked at him. “Yes, he _is_ my Snowflake, and if he melts, I will fucking kill you.”

That brought shock to the big man’s face. “Bunny, you should not throw around such threats so lightly.”

Aster growled, fists clenching. “Mate, you’re not paying attention if you think I’m not serious.”

Concern and calculation stole across the man’s expression. “Bunny, this is not how you treat friend. This zeal is how you protect a Mate.”

Bristling, Aster asked, “So what if it is?”

“He is not Mated to you.” The words were delivered gently, as if Aster might not know that and North didn’t want to upset him.

He didn’t need condescending bullshit. “Doesn’t change a thing. You let my Snowflake die, and the world is losing a _holiday_. One or the other. Understand?”

North sobered, nodding. “Whatever disagreements we have handling this, I do not want Jack harmed. We will make sure he is kept cool enough to survive with least discomfort. You have my word on it.”

“Good. Now, if I could just collect his things, I’ll be heading home for now.” Aster had no other plan to find out where Jack’s possessions were.

North gave him a chagrined smile. “Do you think we are stupid, Bunny? The minute you have it, you will give Jack’s staff back to him.”

“Maybe you are stupid, because that’s not what I want with it.” Aster looked around. “Where did Sandy and Tooth get to?”

“Tooth was upset by fighting and went home, and Sandy went to make preparation in case Pitch attacks.”

“Meaning only you know where I can find what I’m looking for. C’mon, North, I’m not planning a jailbreak.”

“If not that, what do you want for Jack’s staff?” North gave him a critical look.

Aster couldn’t tell North about their plans; the big man would stop him. He wouldn’t put it past the idiot to _actually_ lock Aster in his freezer, if he thought he was protecting the rabbit. “Sentimental value. My Burrow is going to be empty as hell without Frostbite.”

North shook his head, smiling. “Try again.”

Aster growled. “I thought I’d take up his mantle and start some snowball fights. I want to use it as a coat rack. I’m going to play the world’s lamest game of pick-up-sticks. Just hand it over.”

North laughed at that. “Has done you good to be with Jack; your humor is much improved.”

“I’m becoming less amusing by the second. Give it to me. It doesn’t belong to you, and it doesn’t belong to me, but I think we both know who would be awarded custody if we asked its owner.” Aster didn’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t get his hands on Jack’s staff. Even _with_ the staff this was almost hopeless. And that was with the Guardian of Hope leading the mission.

“I cannot give to you, Bunny. I’m sorry, but your feelings betray you. You cannot be trusted with it.”

Growling loudly, Aster fought down the urge to slug North. “Fine. You know what, I hope it goes off and makes you a big _fat_ ice cube.” The rabbit hopped away, tapping his foot to open a tunnel.

“Whatever you are planning, old friend, please take care.”

That made Aster freeze for a moment. Then, without turning to look at North, he dropped into his tunnel, racing directly to the Tooth Palace.

(-)

When Aster emerged, he didn’t see or hear Toothiana anywhere. There was the normal flurry of activity, even if she wasn’t directing it. It was a daunting task to pick one out of the thousands of little fairies.

“Hey,” he called, not too loudly. “Which of you is Jack’s Baby Tooth?”

At that, they swarmed over to him, all fawning and fainting and swooning. The little nits. “The Baby Tooth that Jack gave up his staff for.”

“Jackson is with me, Bunny. I figured you’d come looking here after North turned you away.”

Aster whirled, so rarely was he caught by surprise that he was shaking. But it made sense that Toothiana would be able to creep up on an intruder in her domain with the utmost silence. “Jackson?”

The woman gave him a warm smile as a fairy next to her head went to fly around Aster. From the glimpse he had, it had that yellow feather that distinguished it from the others. “Yes, Bunny, Jackson. The Baby Tooth that bonded with Jack is actually the only male. We just treated him like one of the girls so he didn’t feel left out. After the thing with Pitch and Jack’s staff, he started becoming more independent, so we gave him a name and eventually switched pronouns. He’s actually a lot happier this way, which is all we wanted for him to begin with.”

Jackson left off from making Aster dizzy to return to Toothiana. The little thing rubbed its face against hers.

“Big Mama Tooth loves all her children. Her heart is larger than the most gaping mouth of the biggest giant in the world. You protect Love as much as you do Memories.” Aster always did like Toothiana’s warmth and nurturing nature.

That gained him the whitest, most perfect grin. “I love my family too. And if you believe I protect Love, you certainly came to the right place to get help for Jack, didn’t you?”

For some reason, the gentle implication was more embarrassing than North’s teasing. “Will you help me?”

“Of course. But will you please at least say it?” Tooth’s request was soft, but insistent.

Aster groaned. “I love my little Snowflake, you happy? I’m keen to try Mating him, if I get another chance.”

Toothiana squealed in delight. “I’m so glad you finally figured it out! You two are perfect for each other. And with that scene in the kitchen, I hoped you’d finally-”

“Wait, you were spying on us in the kitchen?” Aster asked, a little disturbed.

“Not me. Jackson went to keep an eye on Jack, in case something happened, like him nearly dying of overheating. Luckily you were there. With your speed, you barely got to him in time. Even if Jackson immediately summoned me, and I came as fast as I could, we would have been too late. You’re always Jack’s hero, aren’t you?”

Aster didn’t reply to that. “Do you know where North is keeping Snowflake’s staff? I won’t need the summoning charm if Jackson is right here, but I can’t even hope to do anything without his staff.”

“I know where North _was_ keeping Jack’s possessions.” The fairy dove under the platform they stood on and appeared a moment later carrying the staff and the snowflake. “Sandy took his Dreamsand back. They were both keeping an eye on you, waiting for you to try something. They weren’t paying attention to me.”

That drew a huge grin from the rabbit as he took the staff from her. “I never knew you could be so devious. Even after a thousand years, you can learn new things about people.”

“Desperate times. I don’t like how they handled Jack either, but I knew yelling and fighting wouldn’t get anything accomplished. I also understand that your instincts don’t always grant you that luxury of cool-headedness when Jack is in trouble.”

Aster sighed, remembering her intervention. “Thanks for having my back, Tooth. To be fair, I’m not out of line or backing down on killing North if he lets Jack die.”

Toothiana’s eyes widened. “You _what_? Bunny, you know how dangerous it would be for two spirits of your magnitude to fight to the death. And that’s not taking into account the personal devastation of losing either of you.”

“If Snowflake dies, there will never be Easter again, whether I kill North, or he kills me. Even if Snowflake doesn’t want to be my Mate, he’s the most important thing I have. Without him there’s no Hope, and without Hope there can be no Easter.”

Toothiana looked sad now. “Oh, Bunny…”

Normally that sympathy would annoy him, but from Tooth, it was different. She slid her arms around him, the texture of feathers on fur both strange and pleasant. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the hug. It had been centuries since he’d hugged anyone but Frostbite.

They parted, and Toothiana said, “North won’t let Jack die. However pig-headedly stubborn he can be, and however much the idea of Pitch controlling Jack scares him, he cares a lot about the boy. We all do. Just not quite like _you_ do.”

Aster didn’t really want to get into how he cared about Jack. “So, I have the staff and a guide. You sure Jackson can get me there?”

Toothiana nodded. “He already went back with four other fairies to carry Jack’s teeth home. It’s the same place.” She handed him the snowflake as well. “Just in case you get separated. And I have one more thing to give you.”

The fairy dove out of sight again, and when she returned she had a small black wooden box. She offered it to Aster, who took it and opened it. Predictably, perhaps, it was a tooth. It looked unusually sharp for a baby tooth, though…

And Aster remembered. “A quarter?” And Tooth had knocked one of Pitch’s teeth out onto the ice. Of course, the Tooth Fairy wouldn’t leave a tooth lying around, even if it wasn’t in her usual area of interest.

“What should I do with this?” Aster asked. “I’m not a dentist. I can’t put it back in his mouth.”

“Leverage,” Toothiana said smoothly. There was that devious cunning again. Aster liked it. “Pitch will want it back. He can fix it himself, in time. But he can’t grow a new one, and even if no humans see him, he won’t want to walk around like a gap-toothed hillbilly. Make sure to phrase it that way if you run into him.”

Aster laughed. He had to invite her round the Warren sometime for some carrot cake. An image of Aster and Jack hosting Toothiana for tea and cake filled the rabbit’s head, and he wanted it so badly.

“You’ll have him back soon enough, Aster.” Startled, the rabbit looked to the fairy. Not only had she divined his thoughts, but she’d used his first name. Hardly anyone ever did that. Most didn’t know it. Not that he minded “Bunny,” but using his first name somehow made the moment more intimate, more personal.

“I just hope he’ll want to stay. Life doesn’t feel like much without him.”

That made Toothiana laugh. “You’re crazy if you think that after you let him stay with you he would ever willingly leave. We all know, Aster. How both of you feel about each other. Sandy confirmed it. Jack had some interesting day dreams involving you. And it was clear how you felt that day we all came to the Warren. Even clearer at Jack’s party.”

Aster’s heart started thumping rapidly. “Really? It’s not…I’m definitely not imagining it?”

“No. So, let’s get you moving so you can get Jack back and live Happily Ever After.”

Snorting, Aster said, “Despite us somewhat being fairy tales ourselves, I’ve never believed in Happily Ever After.”

Toothiana rolled her eyes. “Give Jack a chance to show you, then. Come on, out. You have a mission.”

And Aster was surprised at just how much Hope Toothiana had given him with her kind words and support. The rabbit impulsively turned back and wrapped his arms around the fairy again. “Thanks, Tooth.”

The fairy hugged him back and sighed, patting his back before pulling away, turning him around, and making a shooing motion. “Take care of each other!” she called as Aster and Jackson left.

_To be happy, and forever_ _  
You must see your wish come true  
Don't be careful, don't be clever  
When you see your wish, pursue  
It's a dangerous endeavor  
But the only thing to do_

Ever After- Into the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love Tooth. More fun to come; review if you would like!


	14. Dark of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pitch is happy to toy with Aster’s feelings. The Bond is severed, but Aster’s confidence is shaken. But Jack is freed, and they return home together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This actually wraps up this part of the plot, but there is more to come.

_It must have been inside my head_ _  
I’ve lost the hope that I have lived  
And now, at last, it comes to pass  
We sleep, we dream, we have no less  
Along the path we lost our way  
It’s all a game that I must play_

Dark of You- Breaking Benjamin

The only misstep they had in directions was Jackson leading Aster to open a tunnel at the bottom of the crevice that Jack and the fairy had been trapped in. Apparently, that was where they’d gone to get Jack’s teeth, but it was an easy mistake to correct. A couple taps opened another tunnel that led to the top of the crevice.

And Pitch was there, sitting on the ice and looking up at a vicious-looking mess of spikes pointed toward the sky. And it was made of frozen Nightmare Sand. Bingo.

Pitch’s posture looked strange. He was lying on his back but propped up on his elbows. “Hello, Bunny.” His voice lacked its usual dripping distain. It was more of a lazy drawl.

“Pitch. I see you’ve come to admire your handiwork. Clever, tricking Jack into Bonding with you.” Aster couldn’t keep the venom from his voice.

Pitch laughed a little. Again, not his harsh, spiteful laugh. Honestly amused. “I didn’t intend for anything like this to happen. I thought I might find an ally in him. After all, who knew what it was like to be invisible, forgotten, and _hated_ like Jack Frost? Especially after I lured him to my lair to keep him sidetracked while I destroyed Easter. You all responded precisely as I knew you would. Your so-called ‘acceptance’ was a lie.”

_That_ was spoken in more Pitch’s tone of voice. It had faded from the lighter tone into regular Pitch, and Aster thought he realized what was happening. “Jack said you aren’t just bleeding into him through the Bond. He’s bleeding into you, isn’t he?”

Pitch turned and met Aster’s gaze with bright blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “I take it he’s discovered again the hard way that you’ll never really accept him. If I’m ‘bleeding into him’ that means that he’s lashing out. We have some overlapping anger, and it’s bound to come to the surface when my darkness does.”

“We take care of our own. And Jack is part of our family.”

_Now_ that harsh laugh sounded, and the eyes became a silvery gold. “Family? Take care of him? The boy is miserable and alone. I can feel it.”

Aster felt a stab of anxiety that maybe North wasn’t keeping to his word. He assured himself that even if North was fulfilling his promise, Jack would be miserable and alone without Aster there. Jack was safe, if not happy.

“So, you _are_ controlling the Bond,” Aster said.

“Of course not. This thing is quite out of control. You know as well as I do that personality shifts are the mark of a bad Bond. And however nice it is to have the ability to…be happy, it isn’t worth losing myself to some reckless, irresponsible child.”

“Shut your bloody mouth. You have no idea who Frostbite is.”

Pitch grinned at him, sitting up and crossing his legs as he watched Aster. His eyes went blue as he teased the rabbit. “I know better than you, Bunny, what it’s like to be inside Jack.”

And Aster couldn’t stand that. “Listen, you miserable shadow-creep, you are not going to keep Snowflake twisted up with you. You are going to destroy this monstrosity and go your separate ways.”

“‘Snowflake’?” Pitch gave him an intense stare, silvery gold eyes gleaming. “Is he your little Snowflake? Do you want to hold him, to tell him that everything will be okay? Do you want to touch him, hear his screams and moans made just for you? You, Bunny, want to bury yourself deep inside your little Snowflake and fuck him until he cums with your name on his lips as you fill up every bit of him until it overflows.”

Aster wasn’t sure what to say to that. It was all true. He wasn’t sure why Pitch wanted to describe it all in graphic detail, but this couldn’t be leading anywhere good.

“But you don’t touch him. Not the way you want to. You’re _afraid_. Afraid that your Snowflake will change his mind and leave you. Afraid he’ll see your animalistic anatomy and cringe in disgust. He was originally a human boy; how could he possibly want a giant rabbit with a retractable cock?”

Jackson was speaking up at last, squeaking in Aster’s ear. Aster was fairly certain the fairy was trying to reassure him. “You can shoot your mouth off all you like; nothing’s changing the fact that I’m not leaving until that piece of shit is destroyed, and you and Jack are separated.”

Pitch looked casual. “I was waiting for Jack to show up. But since you’ve showed up with his staff, I suppose he isn’t free to come here himself. Feels like he’s _baking_ instead.”

Aster wished he could have suppressed the shiver that drew from him. He’d been cloaking his fur in powerful Springtime heat just to survive, so the shiver might actually look out of place. “I’m here to do whatever needs doing. If you were waiting for Jack, you want this gone too. Let’s get it done.”

A wide smile (that was missing a tooth) grew on Pitch’s face. “How do you propose we break a Bond with only one of the two we need?”

And the rabbit realized what Pitch was getting at. Aster would need to give Jack’s staff to the Nightmare King if they wanted the elements of both participants. Jackson was immediately squeaking in Aster’s ear, distress painting every high-pitched sound. Yes, Aster knew what had happened the last time Pitch had made a bargain for Jack’s staff.

“I’m not giving you Frostbite’s staff. Last time you went back on your word and snapped it in half.”

Pitch chuckled. “You don’t have much choice, do you? Though annoying, I can live with the side-effects of this Bond. I’m not sure we can say the same for Jack.”

Aster’s fist clenched as his other hand tightened around the staff. Pitch was bluffing. He wouldn’t be sitting around here waiting for Jack to show up if he didn’t want the Bond broken. “Your sparkling personality leaves something to be desired. But you want this gone too. And I have something to offer in exchange for your cooperation.”

Fishing out the black box, Aster opened it to show its contents to Pitch. “Courtesy of the Tooth Fairy. If you’d prefer to run around looking like a gap-toothed hillbilly, by all means, keep playing games. If you want to fix your broken mouth, you’ll work to get this done.”

Pitch’s eyes had lighted with interest when he saw his tooth. “Very well. Give me the staff, and I’ll use it to break the statue.”

Aster laughed. “I’m not some trusting young spirit you can pull one over on. You are a treacherous snake. Your word alone can’t be trusted.” The rabbit had already been thinking of a way to ensure the staff’s safe return. “Swear by the Moon. Our bargain is this: I will give you the staff to break the Bond after which you will immediately return it to me. In exchange, I will give you your tooth, and we will part ways without harm to each other.”

There was a sour look to Pitch’s expression. Clearly, he didn’t like Aster’s idea. Swearing by the Moon meant Pitch had to honor the terms unless he wanted the Wrath of the Man in the Moon coming down on him, and nobody wanted that.

“Fine. I swear by the Moon to honor the terms of our agreement, as long as you take the same oath.”

“That’s how bargains work. I swear by the Moon to honor the terms as well.”

And only then, with the iron-clad promise made, did Aster feel safe in turning Jack’s staff over. “Can you even use this?”

But the second Pitch touched it, ice formed on the staff the same way it did for Jack. The only difference being that the ice was black. Pitch’s eyes also immediately glowed a bright blue. “I’d stand back, rabbit,” was Pitch’s only reply.

The crackle of the black ice as Pitch shot it at the statue sounded more like lightning than actual ice, but the spikes began to glow a bluish-black. Aster took quite a few steps back as a sound akin to the earth splitting open sang out as cracks formed on the surface of the ice. A minor earthquake ensued as the statue exploded into millions of tiny particles of frozen Nightmare Sand.

Pitch wasted no time but handed the staff back to Aster. “Here you go. Now, my tooth.”

Aster dumbly pushed the box into Pitch’s waiting hand. It had been so easy. And now Jack was un-Bonded. His subconscious now pushed to the front of his mind the lurking implications. Jack was free to form a Mating Bond.

As if he had heard Aster’s thoughts, Pitch said, as he walked away, “And speaking as someone who’s just been inside of Jack, feeling his feelings and peeking at his thoughts, I’ll confirm that he’s curious about what you’re hiding under that fur.”

Aster’s heart soared for a few seconds before Pitch added, “But curiosity killed the cat, and Jack isn’t going to like what he finds. Few people are aroused by grotesque, beastly genitalia.”

The rabbit didn’t quite literally see red, but it felt like he did. He moved to attack the Nightmare King, and only Jackson flying almost _into_ his ear squeaking as loud as he could saved Aster. As he shook his head violently to recover from the painfully high-pitched sound, Aster realized what Pitch was doing. Their bargain had stated that they would part without harming each other. Pitch was trying to turn their pact against Aster.

“Nice try, asshole.”

Pitch laughed, his true spiteful laugh. “Just because I said it to make you angry doesn’t mean it can’t also be true. I do hope he doesn’t break your heart _too_ badly, Bunny.” And with that, Pitch melted into a shadow on the ground that disappeared in seconds.

Aster just stood there, feeling sick. Jackson squeaked at him, gentle nudges trying to rouse him. Aster realized that he’d accomplished his mission and could return to free Jack. He didn’t feel as triumphant as he wanted, though.

A couple taps opened a tunnel, and Aster raced back to the Pole. Whatever happened in the end, Aster would take care of his Snowflake, just like he promised.

(-)

“Jack’s free,” Aster told North as he leapt out of a tunnel. They were in North’s personal workshop, and the big man was startled by his entrance.

“How can you know?” North asked, then noticed Jack’s staff secured to Aster’s back. “How did you get that? We had eyes on you!”

Aster chuckled. “I’m a rascally rabbit, mate.” He’d heard humans say that (with bewildering speech impediments) and always wanted to apply it to himself. “I’m going to let Jack out, and you won’t stop me.”

The big man followed Aster out the door into the main workspace. “Wait! How can you be sure he is safe?”

“Because I was just in the Antarctic making a bargain with Pitch to break the Bond that had accidentally formed between the two of them. And their Bond wasn’t symbolized with a Mark, it was sealed in a giant spike statue of frozen Nightmare Sand. I watched it explode myself, North.”

“Bargain with Pitch?” North roared. “You cannot trust-”

“I’m not stupid, North. We swore by the Moon. I gave him Jack’s staff to destroy the statue and got it back immediately. Even Pitch will behave himself rather than bring Manny down on him.”

“But he-”

“But nothing. I’m going to get Snowflake, and unless you’re hiding the fact that you didn’t keep your word, you’ll let me. I’m not leaving him to bake. Give me the key.”

When the piece of metal was pressed into his waiting paw, Aster didn’t let North slow him any longer. He charged down to the kitchens, his heart fluttering as bright blue eyes met his, and they shone with joy and eagerness.

As Aster hopped over to the boy, Jack said, “You did it! He’s gone; I can feel it. I can’t believe that worked.”

The rabbit unlocked the door and was immediately knocked to the ground by the small spirit in his exuberance. Jack was on top of Aster, hugging and wriggling and making pleased sounds. It felt so good to have his Snowflake in his arms again, but it was dangerous to let this continue while a kitchen full of yetis and elves looked on.

So, still holding onto Frostbite, Aster got up, first sitting, then standing. Jack did not want to let go. “If you’ll be clinging like a koala from now on, I’m going to feed you nothing but eucalyptus leaves.”

Jack chuckled but didn’t release his grip. “Do you want me to let go?”

Aster couldn’t hold back a shiver at the low tone of the boy’s voice, almost seductive. “Not especially. But you’ll have to eventually.”

“Then tell me when eventually happens.”

The rabbit sighed and said, “I was going to take us right to the Warren, but if you’d rather stay here…”

Jack let go immediately, except for holding Aster’s paw. “Take me. Please?”

Damn Snowflake and his choice of words. Aster tapped his paw twice, and they went sliding down the tunnel that opened. In a minute or two, they were emerging into the Warren.

_I've never felt so free in all my life_ _  
Cause you were there for me in all those empty nights  
Is everyone so blind?  
It just seems so right  
Cause you are all I find_

Love Me Now- Nine Lashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is super-exciting! (And super-smutty.)


	15. Everytime We Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dam is about to break, and Jack is the one grabbing dynamite while Bunny has a small cork. Luckily one of those is more effective than the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times! Hope you like mint chocolate! >__>

_'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling_ _  
And every time we kiss I swear I could fly  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last  
Need you by my side_

Every Time We Touch- Cascada

Jack was quiet all the way back to the Burrow. He stopped at the door and said in a low voice, “I thought I’d never see your home again.”

“ _Our_ home, Jack, _our_ home. You aren’t going anywhere else, I hope.” Aster’s heart squeezed at the idea.

Jack whirled around to look at Aster, eyes bright. “Never! I want to stay forever.”

“Good, Snowflake, because we’ve got forever, and I’m not letting you go.” Aster was ready for the hug Jack gave him, slim arms gripping him tight. “Let’s get settled, eh?”

They went inside, and Jack said, “Can we have more of our cake for dinner? You know, to celebrate?”

“You just like eating cake. But yeah, we can do that. First you need to take a shower to cool you down again and wash that sweat away. Yer clothes need washing too.” Aster had been working hard to ignore the siren scent of the boy’s musk.

“Guess I’ll wear the robe until they’re done then.”

Aster sighed. “Just put your clothes on the floor outside, and I’ll get them going.” The idea of Jack prancing around in nothing but a robe was daunting.

“Okay.” The teenager gave him a huge smile and walked into the bathroom. “I won’t take long.”

Aster waited until he heard the door open and shut twice before going to collect the Snowflake’s clothes. Unable to resist, he buried his nose in the sweaty garments and shuddered in pleasure as his cock peeked out of its sheath. There was no avoiding it.

But then Pitch’s voice filled his mind. “Few people are aroused by grotesque, beastly genitalia.”

It killed his arousal instantly. Pitch was just saying it to get in his head, but it had worked. Aster was back to being worried that even if Jack cared about him as more than just a friend, he wouldn’t want Aster once he saw what the rabbit had to offer.

Aster dropped Jack’s clothes in the wash before heading back into the kitchen. He heard the water shut off. Frostbite had been quick. Aster braced himself for Jack walking in in nothing but a pink fluffy bathrobe.

“You should shower too, Bunny. After Antarctica you would probably enjoy a hot shower, right?”

No. Aster would be taking a cold shower. This whole situation was a powder keg, and Aster didn’t want it to blow up in his face. “Sure, shower sounds good.”

Aster headed down the hall to the bathroom, resigning himself to the aching cold to offset his aching cock. He didn’t take long to shower either, and after he was dried and composed he went back into the kitchen.

And his heart stopped beating for a few moments. Leaning back on his sink, casual as you please, was Jack. In an apron. And nothing else. Aster thought he might explode. If he hadn’t just had an almost-freezing shower, his cock would be out. Even as he was, he gave it a minute, tops, before he had a problem.

Jack looked a bit shy, but also pleased at Aster’s speechlessness. “I forgot you didn’t like aprons. Do I…Do I have to take it off?” The question was nervous and uncertain, and Aster realized that Jack had, of course, never seduced anyone. And the boy had body image issues.

Of course, as soon as Jack said that, Aster’s cock slid free all on its own; nothing could have stopped it. He watched his Snowflake’s eyes grow wide and felt plenty nervous and uncertain himself. This was it. No more avoiding it or putting it off.

“Wow, Bunny. That’s…really…is hot the right word?”

Aster chuckled nervously. “I couldn’t tell ya, Snowflake. Not sure how you feel about…this.”

Jack took a few steps closer. “It’s amazing. How does something that big hide inside you?”

Oh, Frostbite was responding very favorably to him. And Aster couldn’t stop himself from advancing on the boy, kissing him as he pushed Jack against the sink. The kiss was awkward and a bit sloppy, but Jack moaned and joined in.

“Feels good, Bunny.”

His Snowflake was so very aroused. The smell was taunting Aster, and he couldn’t stop himself from rubbing against the boy a little. The loud moan that triggered in the boy had Aster rubbing himself more. And as hot as the apron was… “Take that fucking thing off.”

“Yes.” Jack breathed the word eagerly. He reached behind him to untie the strings, and he lifted the strap over his head before letting the apron fall to the ground.

And Aster got see his Snowflake for the first time. He ran his eyes over all that pale cool skin exposed for his viewing pleasure. He wanted to give a more thorough examination, but he could see that Jack was getting nervous at just being stared at. “You’re gorgeous, Snowflake. C’mere.”

Jack stepped back up to Aster, and Aster lifted the boy, paws holding his ass as Jack’s legs spread and wrapped around him. Jack’s arms went around his neck as Aster slid his cock along the front of Jack’s body, loving the shudders that drew from the boy. “Oh, fuck, Bunny!”

That just egged Aster on. He could feel Frostbite’s length pulsing against his as he sped up. “You like that, Snowflake? Feel good?”

“I’ve never felt this good in my entire fucking life. This is incredible.” Jack was moaning and gasping the words, and Aster sped up further, knowing he couldn’t hold out much longer. That boy’s damn mouth.

But it got better/worse. Jack whimpered and said, so very quietly, “Will you pull my hair, Bunny?”

Fuck. Oh, fuck, of course Aster would love to pull Frostbite’s hair. He shifted so one paw was on Jack’s ass supporting him, while the other slid into the boy’s hair to grip it and wrenched his head backwards.

It was like pressing a button. As Jack spilled himself against Aster’s cock, the warm wetness and Jack’s scream made it impossible to hold out. “Jack,” Aster groaned as he came. He let his grip on the hair go and kept his cock towards the bottom of the boy, so his seed would spill on his stomach and chest and not in his face. The force of Aster’s orgasm made a few splashes hit Jack’s face anyway. The boy just moaned as he melted in Aster’s grip.

Aster felt close to dropping too, and he carried Snowflake into the bathroom to clean him up. He set the boy on the counter next to his sink and grabbed a washcloth. He got it wet and started cleaning his cum off the boy. Oh, Jack was covered in his scent now. No one with a keen nose would doubt who Jack belonged to. And Aster would be happy to show anyone _without_ a keen nose who Jack belonged to. The thought of kissing and touching the boy while a jealous competitor watched was intoxicating.

“We’re going to do that a lot from now on, right? If I have to wear the apron all day every day I will.” Jack’s voice was quiet and drowsy.

The rabbit snorted. “You don’t need an apron to get that reaction from me. And as long as you’re interested, we will do that forever. I meant what I said. I never want you to leave.”

Jack was awake now, sitting up straight, his eyes meeting Aster’s with so much Hope that Aster could almost taste it. “Yeah? That means…you want me for your Mate?”

Aster stiffened, suddenly on guard. “Who told you that?” Because he was certain Jack was not well-versed enough in Mating Bonds to recognize Aster’s intentions, and, come to think of it, he wasn’t sure where Jack’s courage to seduce him had suddenly appeared from.

Frostbite flinched almost imperceptibly and said, “North. He started bringing me water after you left. He told me that you were very seriously ready to kill him if anything happened to me. He explained a lot of things. Like how your instincts and behavior had already proven that I was supposed to be your Mate, that you’d already chosen me. He told me that moving in with you had triggered the deeper feelings you had to come to the surface. I guess you wouldn’t normally live with anyone but a Mate, right? I remembered how you reacted to the apron, like it was almost painful to see it on me. If living with me was signaling that I was supposed to be your Mate, I figured getting domestic just strengthened that.”

The boy’s voice was part calm reasoning and part timid trepidation. Aster realized that the first thing he said in response to Jack asking about Mating him was a somewhat harsh inquiry. It was just surprise at the fat man’s meddling. Not that he truly minded, if this was the result.

Aster set the wash cloth aside since Jack was cleaned off and slid his arms around the slim figure to hold the boy close, cool skin feeling wonderful on his fur. Jack inhaled sharply and hugged back, softly sighing. When the rabbit drew back, he made sure Snowflake was looking into his eyes as he said, “I love you, Jack Frost. And I want to Mate you and Bind you to me for the rest of eternity.”

A strong full-body shudder ran through the boy. Jack didn’t blink as he said, “I love you, Aster. I want to be your Mate.”

Aster thought he’d been jolted by lighting. He hadn’t realized that Snowflake knew his first name. Thinking about it, he’d lay money that North had told the boy. The rabbit just kissed Jack, loving how the little spirit eagerly responded with his own hunger.

Aster started to lift Jack as his cock made an appearance again, but Jack broke the kiss and said, “Wait!”

A sinking feeling grew in Aster’s stomach as Jack said, “Can we not Mate right now?”

“Second thoughts, Snowflake?” The rabbit hoped he didn’t sound as dejected as he felt.

“No!” Jack shouted. Then that wonderful purple frost covered him. “It’s just…you realize that I’ve never…”

Oh. Ohhhhh. That’s right. His shy little Snowflake who wasn’t comfortable in his own skin was a virgin. Which was very attractive and satisfying to his instincts; Jack would always be his and only ever his. But he needed time and patience, which Aster would give him as much as he needed.

“Snowflake, we can do a lot of things together. We don’t have to jump straight to Mating. I’m going to make you so comfortable with me that you’d let me take you where the others could see us. I intend to satisfy you like no one else ever could.”

Jack moaned, his arousal assaulting Aster’s nose. “You already do that. And I will _never_ let you do things to me in public.”

Aster grinned. “That sounds like a challenge, Mate. I think it’ll be one you’ll be happy to lose.”

“Can we do _something_ , Bunny? I’m aching for you.” It was a whine, and Aster tried to decide what he wanted to do to the boy.

He eventually spread the smaller spirit’s legs and easily slid his hard length into Aster’s mouth. The startled cry was satisfying. The trick to keeping his teeth away from scraping on human-like spirit’s flesh was something he’d perfected long ago. They were rarely more than a mouthful, and it was very easy to take in Jack.

Jack was perfect. After so long of wanting him, aching for him, Aster relished every cry and gasp and moan he could wring from the small spirit. The cool hard flesh in his mouth was so satisfying that Aster wondered a little that he might become addicted to sucking his Snowflake’s cock.

Aster jolted as cool hands scraped blunt nails over the base of his ears. Touching was relaxing; that was invigorating. He sucked harder and was gratified when, moments later, Jack stiffened and came, spilling minty-tasting seed on the rabbit’s tongue. Yes, that was a taste Aster already loved.

His Snowflake was slumped back on the counter, his back touching the large mirror that ran along the counter behind the sink. It gave Aster an idea that he filed away for another day.

“Bunny,” Jack breathed. “You’re incredible. I didn’t, I mean, I can’t…”

“Form complete sentences?” Aster said, pride filling him.

“I can’t fit all of you in my mouth like that. You’re so big.” Jack was hungrily eyeing Aster’s throbbing cock.

Heat pooled in Aster’s loins at that look, at the idea that the first thing Jack wanted to try on his own was sucking the rabbit off. “You can try, if you like.” Aster really hoped he wanted to try.

“Will it work if I can’t get it all in?”

“If you want to lick me up and down like a popsicle, I’d be thrilled. Whatever you want to do.” Aster wanted the boy to try anything and everything on him. “Snowflake, I bet you could get me spilling myself without touching my cock. Don’t doubt for a second that you can satisfy me.”

Jack blushed, and Aster could see the purple spreading down his neck and touching his chest. It was highly intriguing. He wondered how hard he could make his Snowflake blush, and how far that blush might go.

“But…what if I start doing it wrong?” Clearly the whole “inexperienced virgin” thing was as much of a problem as Jack’s view of his own body. So many insecurities where there should be nothing but confidence and pride.

“If you need some guidance, I’ll give it to you. I’ll tell you what feels good for me, and I might show you other things you could try, if you like. But you have to promise to do the same. We can learn _together_.” It was the best way Aster could think of to assuage the boy’s fears. Not to mention he’d love to have Jack describe how the rabbit made him feel and tell Aster what Jack wanted to the larger spirit to do to him. The hair-pulling request had already been an incredibly arousing surprise.

“Okay.” Jack eyed Aster’s cock and shivered. “Can we do this with you sitting down? In the den or something?”

Aster grinned. “If that would make you more comfortable.” He pulled the teenager to the den and said, “Where do you want me?”

Jack shrugged, purple frost painting his face. “The couch?”

The rabbit sat down and spread his legs, loving how Jack immediately went to kneel between them. The fact that he was dripping precum had Frostbite licking his lips before wrapping a hand around Aster, at least, as much as he could. The rabbit was longer and thicker than a human ever could be.

Aster groaned softly as the cool hand slid down his length. “That’s right, Frostbite. Just like that. If you’re looking to get all of me, you could use both hands.”

Another hand was added for the next stroke along with a firmer grip that made the rabbit moan far too loudly. Jack started to speed up, his hands gaining more rhythm as he got more confident.

The larger spirit was not shy about voicing his appreciation. “That’s perfect, Snowflake; don’t stop.” When Jack started lapping at the tip of his dick, Aster stifled a shout. “Oh, luv, do that again! I want that sweet little tongue of yours to tease me till I explode.”

Frostbite wrapped his lips around Aster’s dick, getting as much in as he could. He fit a little more than the head in, which was more than the rabbit thought he would manage on his first try. “Just a little bit more, luv. Gonna cum so hard. Make sure you’ve got your mouth wide and your teeth covered; I’ve got a surprise for you.”

That made Jack moan, which was all Aster needed. He slid a paw into Jack’s hair and pulled the boy off his cock, cumming all over his little Snowflake. The surprised and pleased gasp and cry from Jack was gratifying.

So was the smell of Jack’s release, but that was also surprising. “Did that get you off, Snowflake?” Aster asked as he finally emptied himself.

Jack shivered, purple frost partially hidden under the glazing the rabbit had given him. He looked away but nodded. That wouldn’t do.

Aster slid to the floor beside Jack and licked his face clean. “No shame with me, Jack, not ever. If me pulling your hair and drenching you with cum makes you that happy, we will keep doing it for the rest of our lives.”

The rabbit continued to lick Jack clean, the familiar taste of chocolate coming from the pearly seed. “Did you know it covers you in my scent, Snowflake?” Aster whispered as he licked at Jack’s chest, loving the way the spirt gasped at having his nipples stimulated. “Anyone with a decent nose can tell that you’re mine. I’ll keep scent-marking you every day until we Mate.”

Jack finally spoke when the rabbit’s tongue was moving across his lower abdomen and sliding through the creases of his hips. “But not after?” Jack’s voice was a little strained.

There was no containing Aster’s grin. “I’ll do it after too, Frostbite; it just won’t be a necessity. Right now, my instincts are screaming to claim you as my Mate, and the scent-marking calms me down and lays claim to any competitors. If a day goes by that I don’t show my claim, I’m going to get irritable and aggressive.”

Frostbite snorted. “Well, I’m a cold little dead boy who loves to cause trouble and has three hundred years’ worth of abandonment issues and insecurity; I can’t say I’m considered much of a catch.”

Aster growled. He had been enjoying the part where their essences had mingled, mint and chocolate, wishing that Jack could cum more. But now he obviously had work to do.

“Stop talking about yourself like that. Just because nobody has seen you doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t want you if they did. I might have to kill anyone else who saw you like this. They’d want you for themselves, and I don’t share.” No further commentary, Aster started licking and sucking at Jack’s cock, wanting more minty flavor on his tongue and Snowflake’s pleasure in his ears.

“I don’t-ah!” The spirit shuddered and slid his hands to Aster’s head. The cold hands felt wonderful digging under his fur. “Bunny, that feels so good; your mouth is incredible. You suck at me like you’re fucking starving, and-whoa!”

He was starving. And, lying in front of the couch, Aster had spread his Snowflake’s legs as far as he could. Jack was trembling all over from the exposure and pleasure. Then the rabbit lifted the little spirit’s hips a bit and used one paw to gently tease his way between those soft, cool cheeks.

A gasp preceded some more serious shaking and a, “BunnyBunnyBunny!” It was part warning, part thrilled pleasure.

Aster knew not to try and breach his Frostbite now. But the boy obviously loved the tease. Aster didn’t even try to touch Snowflake’s entrance, and he could feel the little spirit’s body tightening, readying itself.

When the first taste of minty cum hit his tongue, Aster sucked hard, loving how Jack screamed his name and spilled more for him to devour. When every last drop was consumed, Aster picked up his boneless lover and lay him down on the couch. And, yes, Aster was definitely hard again. But Jack looked exhausted, and Aster wasn’t going to push.

But when Aster went to walk away, a cool hand touched his wrist. “You’re still hard, Bunny.”

“And you’re very tired, Snowflake. Yer not up to getting me off again.” Aster was certain they could build the boy’s stamina, but he was obviously done for the day.

“You just told me that you like cumming on me. You can do that without me having to do anything. And it feels good to get covered with your warm, slick seed.”

Oh, fucking hell. Aster’s hand was immediately at his length and pointing it at the boy as he started stroking, unable to hesitate at the offer. “Jackie, you have no idea how precious you are. How beautiful.” Aster wasn’t drawing anything out, determined to cover his Snowflake quickly so the boy could sleep. “I’m going to show you. And I’m going to show you how much you mean to me.”

Moments later he came, covering his Snowflake quite deliberately everywhere with his release. And he let out a sigh at the same time Jack let out a low moan. As Aster calmed, Jack asked, “Was that good?”

“Perfect,” Aster said as he started licking Jack clean again. “I’m never gonna make you Mate before you’re ready, but my body isn’t as patient. Scent-marking you repeatedly is incredibly calming. Thank you, Snowflake. This was much better than spilling myself alone.”

Jack grinned at him lazily. “I suppose that just means we’ll have to do this quite a few times a day, won’t we?”

Aster shuddered and paused where he was licking Jack’s stomach. “There are a lot of things we’re going to do, Snowflake. I told you. I’ll show you how beautiful you are. In everything, I’ll show you how precious and special you are to me.”

The rabbit wasn’t certain that Jack had heard the last part. The boy was asleep, a contented smile on his face. He finished cleaning and took the Snowflake into his nest, where he curled around the boy possessively. Aster was certain there was no better end to a day.

_Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders  
These twists and turns of fate  
Time falls away  
But these small hours  
These small hours still remain_

Little Wonders- Rob Thomas (Meet the Robinsons)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not Mated, but quite decidedly lovers now. I really like the idea of Aster holding off, because Jack so far has been uncertain enough to not be ready for it. I was proud of him for pulling off the apron seduction. XP


	16. If I Apologized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smoothing over relations with the Guardians is difficult. If not impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love interruptions.

_If I apologized_ _  
it wouldn't make it all unhappen  
wouldn't make the darkness go away_

_  
If I apologized  
it wouldn't mean I was forgiven  
wouldn't mean you wanted me to stay_

If I Apologized- Josephine Cronholm (Mirror Mask)

Aster had decided before he went to sleep that they would eat breakfast, spend the rest of the morning in bed, work in the afternoon, quickly eat dinner, then go back to bed until they were tired enough to sleep. He knew he needed to run that schedule by Jack, but given his enthusiasm, Aster doubted the boy would raise any objections.

He was quite irritated, then, when his internal alarms started going off early in the morning. Someone was in the Warren. And given how they hadn’t used a tunnel to get in, Aster was betting a magical entrance. But few things could bypass his wards like that.

Jack was still asleep, but, given his abandonment issues, Aster wasn’t going to leave him to wake up alone after his first night of intimacy with the rabbit. He nudged the boy awake.

“What’s happening?” Jack murmured sleepily.

“Someone’s in the Warren. I need to go check on it, but I didn’t want you waking up alone and wondering where I’d gone. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Having taken care of that, Aster rose and climbed from the nest. And his ears stuck straight up, because he’d been so focused on Jack that he’d lost track of the interloper. But they were outside his front door. A heavy knock sounded, and Aster caught a familiar scent as he moved to answer it.

“The Pole had better be on fire,” Aster said the second he opened his door to reveal the yeti on the other side.

The yeti said some things in Yettish that Aster couldn’t understand. He understood very little of the beings’ strange language, mostly “yes” and “no” because they were easily accompanied with nods or shakes of the head.

“Oh, hi, Phil,” came Snowflake’s voice behind him. Aster turned to see the boy fully dressed, carrying his staff as though nothing had happened. The rabbit really hoped Jack didn’t want to play it that way. He seemed okay last night, but perhaps he wouldn’t want to discuss it with others.

Phil looked at the boy, eyebrows drawn together, and said something in Yettish.

Whatever he said made Jack beam like the sun on snow. “Why, yes, I _am_ covered in Bunny’s scent. I’m his, after all.” Jack eyed Aster, who was impressed with the boy’s understanding of the yeti, while also bursting with pride at how Jack handled that. “He’s mine too, but I don’t have the same, ahem, customs that he does.”

Aster snorted at the same time the yeti did. Frostbite couldn’t drench Aster in cum the way the rabbit could cover him. The yeti obviously had a sense of that too.

“What are you here for, Phil?”

The yeti said a lot of things while Jack listened carefully, his face growing darker the more he heard.

“Fine. Tell him we’ll be there in a few minutes. And tell him that things are _not_ okay.” The last bit was said with a kind of dark anger that Aster might worry was Pitch if he hadn’t seen the Bond destroyed with his own eyes.

Jack exchanged nods with the yeti before closing the door. The temperature dropped as Jack shook with fury. “Just because he talked to me about you does not mean that I’ve forgotten being locked up and roasted. Who does he think he is to summon me back there right away?”

“That’s what that was about?” Aster would be concerned about the power surge, but Frostbite had plenty of reasons to be very angry, and Aster also thought that the cessation of these outbursts the last week or so was due to the Bond taking hold, and Pitch taking more power than he could return.

“They want to talk about what happened. Want to make sure I’m okay.” A layer of heavy frost covered the kitchen as Jack stomped a foot. “How dare they!”

Whoa, couldn’t let this get out of control. “Hey, don’t lump Tooth in with them. She stole your staff and snowflake when North and Sandy hid them and watched me to be sure I wouldn’t get them. Although don’t mention that; I like North thinking I’m wily enough to steal if from under his nose. We couldn’t have broken the Bond without her. She gave me Pitch’s tooth to exchange for his cooperation.”

“She did?” Jack’s voice was hopeful, and Aster realized he was glad that not all the Guardians besides Aster had betrayed him. The Warren managed to melt the frost.

“Yeah, and your fairy was watching over you in the kitchen. By the by, did you know your fairy is the only male?”

Jack’s eyes widened. “Really? But Tooth always called it a ‘she’.”

“That was their way of making him feel accepted. But they’re using male pronouns now, and they even gave him a name.”

“What’s his name?” Jack was excited, and the temperature returned to normal, as Aster hoped it would if he could distract the boy with something positive.

Aster grinned. “Jackson.”

Frostbite squealed in a highly unmanly fashion and did a backflip to land crouching on the kitchen table. “After me? Whooo!”

“You definitely left your mark with Jackson, and the whole Tooth Palace is in love with you. Although Tooth just has a mother’s love for you.” Aster felt obliged to add that last bit, because while tiny fairies getting twitterpated over the boy didn’t threaten him, someone like Tooth would. It paid to remind himself that she was not a competitor. She loved to show affection for Jack, and Aster would have to bear it without losing his cool.

Jack was smiling now, though it dimmed a bit as he said, “Let’s go then. At least I have that to look forward to.”

Before opening the front door, Jack propped his staff against the wall behind it. It was a telling gesture. Last time he’d taken it to the Pole, it had been stolen from him. The boy didn’t trust North. It was also a sign of how much he _did_ trust Aster. While he could use his magic without his staff now, it wasn’t with enough precision for it to be useful in a fight. He was making himself vulnerable because he could trust that Aster would have his back and protect him if something happened.

Aster followed the boy outside, and they headed through a tunnel that would connect to the Pole. After a few minutes, they were emerging in the meeting room at North’s workshop. The others were already there. The table had been remade recently, since it was shaped like the tile floor the Guardians used to communicate with Manny. All the tile floors in each of their domains had been remade to include Jack. His symbol was between North’s and Aster’s, so at the new pentagonal table, their seats were waiting accordingly.

So, it was a pointed statement when Jack took his chair away from his side and brought it to Aster’s side, sitting closer to Tooth. He fitted their chairs up next to each other and wound his arm around Aster when he sat down. Aster’s more primal self was ecstatic. He didn’t even mind Jackson coming to land on the boy, getting carefully stroked.

There was a long silence after that, then North began the meeting. “We were wanting to talk about Pitch, and what happened when Bunny went to break Bond.”

“I already gave you the basics, North,” Aster said, paw running up and down Frostbite’s arm reassuringly. The boy had tensed the moment the big man opened his mouth.

“Could you tell Sandy and I, Bunny? Please?” Toothiana was entreating, and Aster knew she wanted him to smooth things over between the Guardians. Hell of a job to give _him_. But Aster could play nice, mostly. He wouldn’t expect anything out of Snowflake, though. The boy had been wronged, and it was a wound that ran deep.

“Look, I got Jack’s staff and went to the Tooth Palace. I was rounding up Jackson, who knew where the statue was, and Tooth found me. She mentioned she had Pitch’s tooth still, and I asked her to give it to me. She has an actual heart, a big one, in fact, so she gave it to me.”

The fairy was beaming at him, but there was a shade of amusement to her smile. North was frowning at Aster. “Funny. Tooth said _she_ stole staff and snowflake and gave both and tooth to you freely.”

Aster smiled. “Wasn’t sure how much to tell them, Tooth. Didn’t want to get you in trouble with the big man.”

Toothiana giggled at that. “Thank you, Bunny. Your chivalry is appreciated, if not needed.”

“Right then. We got to the statue, and Pitch was just sitting on the ground, waiting for us. We talked about the Bond, and, by the way, him having Jack’s beautiful blue eyes is even creepier than Jack having his cold metallic ones.”

Jack drew himself even closer to the rabbit. “ _You_ try having his personality take yours over, then we can talk creepy.”

It was the first thing Jack had said, and the big man and little man both perked their heads up. Sandy had, of course, been silent, but his face said it all. He couldn’t look at Jack for long before moving his gaze elsewhere, and an expression of sorrow shaped the sand of his face. The little man obviously felt guilty as hell.

But remembering how Sandy had looked at Jack when he discovered Pitch’s power inside the boy, and the expression on his face when Jack had summoned the Nightmare, Aster felt a little more sympathy for him. After all, he’d stopped existing for a few moments. Sandy had been gone over a day. Of course the idea of Pitch getting another chance to make Nightmares and attack them terrified him. Especially if Jack was his potential weapon.

“Yeah, well, we’ll discuss that in a minute, Snowflake. Pitch kept trying to get him to give me the staff, and I refused until he swore to the Moon to keep to our bargain. He used the staff to break the statue, gave it back, and I gave him his tooth.” Aster decided the part where he’d almost incurred Manny’s Wrath wasn’t worth mentioning.

But Jackson let out a few squeaks, and Toothiana frowned. “What else happened with Pitch, Bunny?”

Aster glared at the little fairy. “I’m glad you intervened, but I’m never trusting you with a secret, you nit.”

“Hey, don’t blame him,” Jack said. “What is he talking about, Bunny? You nearly got _obliterated_ by Manny?”

There was a collective inhale in the two other men. Toothiana already heard the message, and Aster looked at Jack. “You understand Yettish _and_ Fairy?”

Jack nodded. “Don’t change the subject. What happened?”

Aster sighed. “It’s fairly standard to stipulate that both parties of a deal leave without harm. Pitch got me angry enough to nearly attack him. Jackson nearly broke my eardrum to stop me. Again, thank you.”

The little fairy squeaked. Toothiana still looked shocked. “You’re not known for being well-tempered, Bunny, but…what could he possibly say that would make you forget yourself like that?”

The rabbit felt hot shame remembering it. Didn’t matter that his arm was around the boy as Snowflake was clinging to him like moss to a stone, or that last night he’d been sucking Aster’s cock and begging for Aster’s touch. Pitch knew his greatest fears and the insecurities that went along with them. So, he’d known just what to say to make Aster unsure of himself, self-conscious about how very different he was from his intended Mate.

“I don’t think that’s anything we need to know for this meeting.” Jack came to his rescue. Then he said in a voice that was barely audible, “Although _I_ would like to hear it later, if you’d be okay with that.”

Aster just squeezed Frostbite’s hip. It was a little terrifying to consider telling Jack, but, intellectually, he was aware that Jack would almost certainly tell him that his fears were unfounded.

The bell at Sandy’s side of the table rang. They all looked to him as he began signing. [I would like to apologize to Jack. I know it’s not enough to be forgiven, but I am sorry. In my fear of the black sand, I allowed myself to treat you like a dangerous enemy instead of an afflicted friend.] Sandy hesitated for a moment before he began signing again. [I confess, the black sand makes me irrational. I can still remember it crawling over me and into me. Though I don’t remember it, obviously, I know that for more than a day I didn’t exist.]

Jack’s grip on Aster slackened. “I…I know that the Nightmares and Nightmare Sand hold a special threat and terror to you, Sandy. I’m not saying that everything is fine between us, but I understand you had your reasons.”

“I am sorry as well, Jack. I could not ignore the possible threat Pitch posed.” North looked contrite, but it was a pitiful excuse.

Aster felt Jack grow rigid beside him as the temperature in the room dropped drastically. Frostbite stood up so suddenly he almost knocked his chair over. He put both hands on the table and leaned to glare at North. “ _Possible_ threat?! You locked me up next to an _oven_. I nearly _died_! And don’t give me bullshit about weakening me so I couldn’t escape. You didn’t even ask me to stay in one place where you could keep an eye on me. You didn’t try to figure out what was _actually_ wrong with me!”

A storm was blowing in the meeting room, and everyone but Aster looked scared. “I _trusted_ you, North. I felt _safe_ here. Do you understand what that means to me? After lonely years of trying to break in to see you, finally being welcomed in was like a dream. Now I can’t stand to be here. I feel sick. I want to go home.”

His Snowflake was crying as the winds raged, tears freezing into icy drops that clattered to the table. Aster couldn’t help but notice that North was crying too. But that wasn’t Aster’s concern. Jack was.

The rabbit stood up and gently slid his arms around the small spirit. He was pleased to see the winds start to calm at once. “C’mon, Snowflake. If you want to go home, we’ll go home.” The winds died, but it was still cold enough that everyone but him and the kid were shivering. “That’s right, calm down. You know you’re safe with me.” Aster nuzzled the boy’s neck.

Jack turned and wrapped his arms around the rabbit. “Always. I love you, Aster.”

It was loud enough for the other three to hear, and there was a collective intake of breath. Clearly, even if they had known the two had feelings for each other, and even if the signs of their changed relationship were in glaring neon lights, it wasn’t real until they heard those words.

“I love you too, Snowflake. Let’s leave.” He steered the boy to an open spot on the floor. Then he looked back. “Tooth, we’ll have to have you over for tea sometime soon.” The fairy nodded, still looking concerned.

A couple of taps and they were sliding down the tunnels, back to the Warren. Aster would need to calm the boy down and comfort him. He knew he was well-equipped to do both. He could be whatever Jack needed.

_Just close your eyes,_

_the sun is going down_

_You’ll be alright_

_no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light,_

_you and I’ll be safe and sound_

Safe and Sound- Taylor Swift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you don’t feel too bad for North. Aster warned him. Granted, once North realized the extent of Aster’s feelings, he went to make Jack aware. Not subtle to just tell Jack everything, but North isn’t a subtle guy. And Jack listened but didn’t say a word to North.
> 
> Also, I have Chapters 18, 19, and 20 all going, only finished in parts, so after I post 17, updates will likely slow down a lot. My muse has been so generous until now, and she’s cutting back.


	17. Never Knew I Had a Heart ('Til It Beat For You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s actually quite pleasant to deal with the fallout from the meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn’t have any doubts or confusion as to how he would calm and comfort Jack, did you?
> 
> The encouragement also helps when I’m second-guessing posting things because maybe the smut scenes aren’t good. XD I know they don’t last very long. XP Hopefully this pleases you.
> 
> Also, Merry Christmas! I was holding onto this and forgot to get it under the tree in time. -__-;

_And I’ll never see_

_What you see_

_When you look at me_

_But I’ll never cease_

_Never sleep_

_[‘Til I’m worthy of your love]_

_I’ve never been accepted_

_So loved and protected_

_‘Til you_

Never Knew I Had a Heart (‘Til It Beat For You)- Karliene

“What do you want, Snowflake? I’m right here for you.” As soon as they entered the Burrow, Jack had turned to wrap himself around the rabbit.

“Show me I’m yours? I’ve never trusted anyone as much as I trust you, and I’ve never wanted anyone but you. Rub against me and cover me in your scent until no one can deny that I’m yours…and you’re mine.”

Aster’s cock was out and ready to oblige within seconds. He hadn’t scent-marked the boy yet today, and the tightness on his skin and in his loins was a sign of that. “You know I’d love to do that, Snowflake. I’ll make it feel so good. And I want to try something new today.”

Jack’s pupils grew large as he drew back to meet Aster’s gaze. “Yeah? What are we gonna do?”

“First, you are going to get those damn clothes off. I need to see all that pale, perfect skin. And it doesn’t work as well if my scent soaks mostly into your clothes and not you.”

Frostbite nodded, but blushed and looked uncomfortable as Aster watched him undress. “Snowflake, you do believe me when I say you’re gorgeous, right?”

Jack slid his pants off, not looking at Aster when he shrugged. “For Easter’s sake, Jack, I’ve shown you what you look like.” When Jack said nothing, Aster kissed the boy and pinned him back on the kitchen table. “Everything you don’t like about yourself, everything that makes you feel ashamed: show it to me. I’ll keep going, for years, for _centuries_ if I have to, until I change your mind.”

That drew a shiver from the boy. “Can we not talk about this? I need you, Bunny.”

“Yeah, let’s not stand talking. Let’s do something about this.” Without warning, Aster lifted Jack up to sit on the table, then flipped him around so his face was pressed down on it while his knees were propped up to present his ass to Aster. It was gratifying to hear the boy’s gasp of surprise. Jack had been aroused before, but it was stronger now.

“That’s right, you like it when I manhandle you. And now you’re showing off your pretty little ass for me.”

Aster slid his paws up the boy’s thighs to his ass, but Jack whimpered and said, “No.”

He halted his paws’ movement and sighed. “No means no, Snowflake. I won’t make you do anything against your will. But if you’re only saying ‘no’ because you’re shy or embarrassed, please trust me. I promise I won’t let you down. And if I try something and you don’t like it, say so, and we’ll stop. Will you please let me try, Snowflake?”

“Okay.” Jack’s voice was soft, and still a little unsure.

But Aster took the green light and ran with it. He slid his paws up to spread Frostbite’s ass and exposed his clenched entrance. The rabbit still didn’t plan to really breach it, but he wanted Jack to get comfortable with Aster manipulating his ass. He would condition Jack to want, no _need_ Aster to give his ass attention. It was part of preparing the boy for Mating. Snowflake needed to be comfortable with and enjoy each and every thing the rabbit had in store for him. Even if Jack was nervous when the time came, Aster didn’t want him afraid or unknowing.

So, when he swiped his tongue over the Snowflake’s entrance and the boy screamed, it was encouraging. “Oh, Bunny, why would you do that?”

Grinning Aster replied, “Because I want to.” He took another taste and reveled in the boy’s desperate cry, clearly overwhelmed. “Does it feel good, luv?”

The little spirit gave him a strained affirmative noise. Aster went at the boy in earnest, drinking in the boy’s cries and whimpers and helpless sobs. “Do you know you taste like snow, Jack?” It was true. It hadn’t been what Aster had been expecting, although it wasn’t a huge surprise; the boy’s cum tasted like wintergreen mint. But the light, cold, watery non-taste of snow was unexpected.

When Jack just shook his head, Aster said, “Tell me how you feel, luv. Tell me how you like it.”

“So embarrassing, Bunny. Can’t think. Just…so. Fucking. _Good_!”

Aster felt Jack tightening, and he would have cum on that last word if Aster hadn’t stopped and pulled away. The boy was nearly crying. “Don’t stop, Bunny! God, please don’t stop!”

The rabbit just petted down the boy’s thighs and spread them wider and brought his hips lower, eliciting a groan from the little spirit. When Aster slid his cock that was covered in precum up against the boy’s cheeks and nestled it between them gently, the strangled gasp that elicited was of alarm, not pleasure.

“Trust me, Snowflake. I’m not Mating you until we’re both good and ready.” So saying, he slid his length up and down slowly against the Snowflake’s ass. That gasp was definitely a good one. “D’you think we can get you cumming without touching your dick? D’you wanna try?”

Jack nodded enthusiastically. “You’re so big and hot against me. God, Aster, you feel incredible.”

The use of his first name stoked a fire in the rabbit. He gripped his Snowflake’s hips and spread his ass and started thrusting wildly.

The desperate noises it continually drew from Frostbite were incredibly gratifying. “Never knew this could feel so good!” Jack sobbed. His body was tight, so close. Aster put more angle on his cock so the tip pressed more directly against the boy’s entrance as he thrusted. Jack screamed as he came.

Aster had been ready, and he didn’t wait for Jack to finish before he flipped the boy onto his back and thrust against his taught form. One paw went to yank the boy’s hair, eliciting another scream and renewed pulsing of the boy’s cock against his, and Aster finally let go. He pulled back a little to cover as much of the boy as he could.

When he stopped spilling, he felt a satisfaction that went deep into his bones. He was buzzing with pleasure, had just renewed his claim, and Jack didn’t seem to be ready to speak English. He was just moaning and murmuring and twitching. God, he’d never get over how gorgeous his Snowflake was.

The rabbit started cleaning his lover off, enjoying the extra shudders and moans he was rewarded with. “Trying new things isn’t so bad, now, is it?”

Jack groaned and nodded. “I think I’ll be more willing to try things in the future.”

Aster chuckled. “See, you can trust me. I’ll take care of you, Snowflake. Nothing more important than you.”

And perhaps in reproach to how he was taking care of Jack, Jack’s stomach let out a large long grumble. And Aster realized that dinner had been skipped last night, and breakfast this morning. Come to think of it, had they even eaten breakfast before they’d gone to the Pole yesterday? It was moving towards noon. A day and half of little to no food. “I’m gonna feed you a lot, Frostbite. Missed a few meals.”

The little spirit nodded. “Love your food. Love _you_ , Aster.”

Every time the Snowflake said that, especially with his first name, Aster felt unbelievably warm inside. “I love you too, Jack. And I always will.”

When Jack regained his ability to stand, Aster helped him down from the table. While the boy got dressed, Aster took care of the first order of business, which was to clean and sanitize the table. And, no, he did not first lick up the remainder of Frostbite’s cum while the spirit was occupied in the cupboards.

Their brunch was extensive; Aster was determined to fatten up his Frostbite to make up for the missed meals. After they were done it was around two in the afternoon, and Jack looked thoroughly sleepy. So, Aster pulled him into the nest to nap for a few hours.

When they woke, it was late afternoon, and Aster knew there was no chance they’d go out and get any work done at this point. He had expected this, even if his original plans had been to work in the afternoon. But even if they weren’t Mated, Jack was newly claimed, and perhaps _especially_ since they weren’t fully Mated, Aster’s instinct was to keep Jack to himself and continually claim and satisfy his future Mate. Because his body knew that his Mate was right there and that he wasn’t fucking and Marking him, and it wasn’t pleased. The excessive time spent with Jack helped to calm those instincts. Not to mention something similar but greater would happen when he _did_ Mate Jack.

Jack stirred beside him. “You never told me.”

Aster looked at the boy, confused. “Told ya what?”

“What Pitch said to you.” Jack sat up to look at him.

The rabbit’s stomach plummeted, and he looked away from Jack. “Just his usual shit-stirring.”

“But you got angry enough to forget Manny might obliterate you. What did he say, Bunny?”

Aster still hesitated. He knew it was stupid, that it obviously wasn’t a problem, but the irrational shame and anxiety were still there.

“Hey!” Jack said sharply, pulling Aster’s face to meet his. He slid his hands up to touch his ears a bit, melting the tension and bad feelings away. “You told me that I should show everything I was ashamed of to you. That you would change my mind. Why aren’t you giving me the same chance?”

Sighing deeply, not meeting his Snowflake’s eyes, Aster said, “Look, this whole time I…I mean, you used to be human, and you’re still human shaped…I just wasn’t sure…”

Jack’s eyes widened. “Oh. This is about how you’re a giant rabbit with a retractable cock?”

Frostbite didn’t mean anything by it, but it was the same words Pitch had used. Aster’s eyes burned with tears, and he turned away.

The smaller spirit made a distressed noise and climbed onto Aster’s lap, making him face Jack again. “I didn’t mean it like that, Aster. But is that what this was about?”

Using his first name was calming, and Aster nodded. “He knows your worst fears. So, he knows the insecurities that cause them. He could see that I wanted you so badly, but that I was too afraid to do anything about it. And a lot of that was to do with my anatomy possibly not being to your liking.”

“I see.” Jack was quiet for a moment before he said, “And to think, I was just telling myself I couldn’t deny that I’m a furry any longer.”

Puzzled, Aster looked in Jack’s face for some clue as to what he meant. “Mate, I’m pretty sure _I’m_ the furry one in this relationship.”

Frostbite laughed, and it might have been hurtful to his sensitive feelings at that moment, but it was just so joyful and utterly lacking in anything negative. “I’m _a_ furry, not furry. It’s um…” Jack looked slightly embarrassed. “People who get turned on by anthropomorphic animals. Humans have a whole culture surrounding it.”

Aster’s ears perked up. “But they don’t have anything like me.”

“They dress up in fursuits, costumes, to look like giant anthropomorphic animals. Whenever I saw them, all I could think of was a big rabbit. I always told myself it was just because you were the only thing like a furry that I knew.”

“But it turns out that sort of thing turns you on,” Aster said. And lucky for him. Meant they really were a perfect fit.

Snowflake shrugged. “Actually, it’s really just you. But loving you and being attracted to you technically makes me a furry.”

“Is that bad?” Because that admission has Aster soaring. Not just any giant humanoid creature would do it for Jack. Only him.

“Hell no. Furries aren’t bad people. And I’m crazy about every bit of you. Your fur feels like fucking magic on my skin.”

Aster laughed. “Glad to hear it. Cool, smooth skin is like heaven to me.”

And Jack kissed him. And, no, their differing anatomies did not make it easy, and Aster was aware that it was awkward and sloppy. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t perfect. It was something he’d thought he’d never have because he was so different from his Snowflake, but it turns out his lover had been attracted to that part of him all along.

There was nothing he could do to keep his cock in. And Frostbite gasped and pressed against it eagerly, immediately giving off the scent of arousal. “I love you, Aster. You’re perfect for me. I love your soft fur, your huge dick that only comes out when you want me. I love your ears so damn much. You let me touch them like you wouldn’t allow anyone else, and I can affect you so strongly. And I think anyone trying to arouse me with hands would be sickening, because I only want your paws on me.”

Aster’s little lover was reassuring him profusely, and the rabbit knew he meant every word. He felt safe. He felt loved. “You know I love you, Snowflake. And it would take a long time for me to describe how perfect you are.”

Frostbite smiled but looked away. Oh, hell no. “If you’re telling the truth about me, at least you could listen when I tell you the truth.”

But the boy still wouldn’t look at him. That wouldn’t do. “Alright, you asked for it. Come with me.”

Jack’s eyes grew wide, but he stood up and followed Aster. The rabbit had a plan that would hopefully destroy that self-conscious shame.

_And even you  
Never need to try and be someone else  
Just be you_

_“It’s all fine.” “Am I fine?” “You’re just fine.”  
“And in time, you will find, you’re just fine.”_

Perfectionist Complex- JubyPhonics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve hinted at this solution earlier, and I’m sure someone noticed. And this next chapter will be hard to finish (if I want to do it properly) so bear with me. In the meantime, feel free to review!

**Author's Note:**

> Good, bad? Let me know. Again, not well-versed in this fandom. If I never make another chapter, this is totally intended to be a one-shot. (I have a second chapter started. Not actually a one-shot.) Also wasn’t sure if Aster would think of himself as “Bunny” so I didn’t use it. If you have an opinion on that, I’d love to hear it.


End file.
